Over and over Jesus uses the least of us all, and the smallest, and the weakest, to make point of who is truly the greatest. Like the poor widow who gave two coins as her offering, in a temple buzzing with so many others giving lavishly, Jesus remarked, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contribute out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4
And it is no different today. Even now, in the hustle and bustle of our world, and the lavishness of so many of our lives--who is truly the greatest? "He who is least among you all is the one who is great." What does this mean for you, for me, and for the modern world? How often we wait to give of ourselves once we have a little more. A little more time, a little more energy, a little more money in our banks. But God reminds us that out of our poverty, out of the last of what we have and in our down right bottom-dwelling moments, we can make the biggest change, if only we cling to the hope and belief that we can.
So I challenge myself, and you, wherever we find ourselves today. Whether you are struggling to give, or perhaps waiting to take that leap and place down your last two coins. Whatever these two coins represent in your life; what might happen if you give them? What if, just what if, those two coins were used to make all heaven ensue. What if in giving out of your poverty, in giving when you and I think we have nothing more to give, we give the last of it, and God uses that faithfulness to overflow and change the lives of even more than we can imagine.
This is the visual I'm trying to capture. The visual of what big faith, combined with giving all that we have, can do in a world where so many hesitate to take that leap, take those copper coins out of their pockets, and give them up:
I love how the little girl who gave up her two coins is standing front and center this whole time. When they showed us this clip at church a few weeks ago, I literally was covered in chills. Do you think that the little girl is setting down coins in front of street performers for the rest of her life with the hope that one day this will happen again? Probably. But how sweet that hope and faith is, when you have it. Do you believe that even out of your poverty, even in your least, that you can be used for greatness? Believe it.
