The other day, I was walking through a local Nepali marketplace, passing by stall after stall full of clothing, sunglasses, shoes, and saris.
Near the end, I found a woman who was selling fabric. There were probably hundreds of different prints, all different colors and patterns.
Right next to the stall with copious amounts of fabric was a woman with three rolls of fabric. Just three.
I thought to myself: I wonder why she would come to sell at the market place when everyone else has so many more items and options.
Instantly, I heard the voice of the Lord say, “she brought all she had.”
I very quickly repented for my small thinking as the Lord reminded me of the story in Mark 12:41-44 of the woman who gave two pence.
“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.””
The widow in the story put in just a penny worth.
Yet, in Jesus’ eyes, it was an extravagant expression of humility, love and sacrifice.
It was an offering worthy of His attention.
It was the same for the woman in the marketplace. Although a seemingly small offering, she brought all that she had… all that she had to live on.
It wasn’t an offering to the church, but still, her humility captured me. The same humility we see in the widow in the story was in this woman.
It was a willingness to bring all that she had, no matter what that was in comparison to others around her.
Can we, as a church, say the same?
Are we people who bring all that we have— whether large or small; countless gifts, or just one; thousands of dollars, or a few cents; rags, or fine clothes— without comparing our “offering” or our role in the body of Christ to others?
This stirred an even deeper question, “are we truly giving God our everything?”
Ask yourself that.
Ask God if there are areas where you may be withholding. If yes, ask Him to show you why.
I did. And He brought both deep conviction and revelation.
He showed me that there are lessons to be learned from the widow giving two pence, and the woman showing up with three roles of fabric.
Here are a few:
- We are to bring everything.
- We cannot allow comparison to steal the joy of our offering.
- Abundance is found in obedience. Obedience to give. Obedience to love. And obedience to joyfully bring all that we have and all that we are to the table, no matter how big or small that may feel.
- Jesus doesn’t rejoice in the amount, He rejoices in the measure of our surrender, and our willingness to bring our full selves and say to Him, “all that I am is Yours.”
He made us. He knows our stories. He gave us all that we have.
Now, we get to decide if we are going to be people who withhold, or people who experience true abundance by giving it all back to Him.
If you are encouraged by this post and/or feel a stir to give to missions, I’m still fundraising for my five months on the mission field. I’m currently in Nepal, ministering in the streets, raising up new leaders, debriefing the last five months, and finishing up my time here before heading stateside to travel across country by bus, preaching the gospel and serving with local ministries.
If you’d like to partner, here’s how you can give:
- PayPal @ [email protected]
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- Tax deductible donation to my blog https://brittanylocati.theworldrace.org/ (click on the “Donate!” button to give a one-time gift, or to set up a recurring donation!)
