One of my favorite stories in all of the Bible is about an unnamed widow that we read about in Mark and Luke. She doesn’t share these specific thoughts in Scripture, but I imagine her saying them when I read the accounts.

I wish I had more to give. Every time I walk the aisle in the Temple courts, making my way to the treasury, I wonder what God can possibly do with my meager offerings. What can He possibly do with the two tiny coins I gave today? It doesn’t seem like much to me at all, but it surely is all I have.

Several years ago, I was preparing a talk for the women at my church. I was speaking at our annual Christmas program. It would be the first time I’d ever spoken in front of a crowd that size. While I was more comfortable seated around a table with ten to twelve women, pouring over Scripture together, I was excited for this opportunity. I put in hours of preparation time, honing in on the ordinary characters God chose to participate in the birth of the Christ child.

I shared the topic I’d selected with my mom. Although she lived thousands of miles away, I wanted to somehow include her in this big day. A few weeks before the event, she surprised me by announcing she had gotten a plane ticket to fly in and hear me speak. It meant so much to me. Upon arrival, she gave me a simple bracelet. It was a silver chain that had a two-toned silver and gold coin near the clasp. In the package, she inserted a note that read:

I’m so proud of you! Just like the widow we read about in Luke, I know you want to give him all you have. I’ll, of course, keep this note forever.

I'm honored to have a guest post over at Angel Penn's blog, Experience His Freedom, today. Head over there to read the rest of my article on the widow who gave all she had.