“When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” –Luke 21:1-4
There is a story of a young girl who was moved by the request of her preacher a few weeks before Christmas 50 years ago. The preacher mentioned from the pulpit that there was a family in their very small congregation that was down on their luck. The father was unemployed, the oldest child was ill, and every penny they had could hardly keep the family together.
“Wouldn’t it be nice,” he offered, “if the congregation would all bring in what they could next Sunday and present it to this wonderful family.”
The young girl was determined to do whatever she could that week and would bring in any money she could accumulate to help them.
She tapped her piggy bank; she looked for loose change in the sofa cushions, and helped a neighbor with some chores to earn another dollar. All in all, she accumulated two dollars and 73 cents.
The next Sunday, as she walked down the center isle to drop off her $2.73 in the basket, she felt humble; embarrassed that she could only give this needy family less than 3 dollars.
At the end of the service, the preacher called the family up to the front to present the money that congregation had collected. To the young girls amazement it was her family!
I heard about this story from that same young girl, only now it was 50 years later and she was a successful business woman. She told the story from a banquet podium the night she was honored for her philanthropy, her generosity.
Her story reminded me of the poor widow’s two small coins. She was generous even though she had very little to give.
To me, this story proves one thing; that generosity has nothing to do with a person’s financial situation. A generous person is generous whether they are rich or poor.
In my experience, some of the most generous people I have ever met were people with very limited means. They give out of the kindness of their hearts, they give to be a blessing, they give out of a sense of gratitude, and they work so that they can have a chance to give. They realize that it is impossible to love without giving.
[pullquote]“The most obvious lesson in Christ’s teaching is that there is no happiness in having or getting anything, but only in giving.” –Henry Drummond[/pullquote]
They truly have the heart of a giver. They realize that giving increases their happiness. They don’t give in order to get. They have no selfish motives. And, they often give anonymously so as not to draw attention to themselves.
If I asked you who are the most Christ-like persons you know? Many would say my grandma, my mom, a special aunt, my father, or grandfather. The reason is they have a generous heart.
What can we do to have a giving heart? We can start by counting our blessings. Gratitude leads to generosity when we realize that no matter our circumstances, someone is suffering more.
In 2015, let’s make it a goal to have a giving heart!
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