Shalom!

I was rushing down from work to church for choir practice today. It was one of those days that I didn’t turn on the audio in the car so I was left to the quietness of my thoughts. I was pondering over the state of affairs that currently bugged me somewhat when I was reminded of the story of the poor widow who gave 2 coins. In comparison to the wealthy who were visiting the temple that day and putting their gifts in the temple treasury, this poor widow’s contribution would seem insignificant and incomparable to the lavish gifts and large sums of money they were donating, at least in the eyes of the world. Jesus’ reply to this observation was simple. “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others.”
Thinking about this now at 3:30am in the morning still brings me to tears. I’m once again reminded of so many simple truths about Jesus. This poor widow, in her poverty, gave as much as she could and Jesus saw the condition of her heart. Whatever she had contributed was deemed significantly more valuable than what the rich had given. It reminded me that God’s view of things was radically different from the world’s view of things. What we deem to be much can seem insignificant in his eyes and what we deem to be little can be highly valued by him as long as we give from our heart. That’s right, our heart. Not the physical heart, but the figurative heart. Physically, the heart is the centre of the human body. With every beat it moves, it pumps oxygen-rich blood to where it is needed and oxygen-poor blood to be re-oxygenated so that it can be reused. Without the heart, all other parts of our body cease to function. When a person’s heart stops, he’s pronounced dead. The heart, the centre of all our bodily functions, the central organ that determines whether we are alive or dead, the very core of our day to day activities. Figuratively, the heart is also considered the “place” where our deepest feelings reside. If we give to Jesus from the very inner most part of our beings, from our core, from our heart (whether in terms of time, resources, effort, skills etc) no matter how insignificant, how inadequate it may seem, we can be confident that Jesus will use such humble contributions for his glory. After all, Jesus was indeed born in a humble family of a simple lifestyle, even in a manger. A humble and contrite heart he desires. A proud and arrogant heart he abhors. Thanks for the gentle reminder Lord. It was truely timely.