Is This My Best?

She woke early.

Morning light penetrated the small house. She drew in a large breath and expressed it over several seconds. Dust particles danced away through the light. God, thank you for the gifts of breath and sight. She wiggled her toes, bounced her legs, and winced as her hips fought for comfort. The floor’s hardness pushed through a mat so thin there was no longer room for a sag.

She counted her fingers, raising and lowering each one in succession and crossed her arms over her chest.

Before raising her head, she thanked God for His mercies during the night.

Today was the day. She could hardly wait.

She padded the few steps to the cistern. The water ran down her cheeks and dripped back into the basin as she washed her hands. Gripping the towel to press it against her face, her hands reminded her the weather was taking a turn. It happened more and more as she aged.

Once back to her mat, she recited verses praising God’s name and thanked Him again for allowing her the energy and mobility to make the trip.

An hour later, she stood outside her front door and fingered the two small coins, examining their weightlessness. No, they didn’t make her rich by any stretch. Not even comfortable by the standard of many at the time. Still, today they felt as heavy and valuable as gold.

She smiled, made one last effort to straighten her slouch, and began the walk.

That may not be exactly or even close to what the poor widow did or felt that morning. We know she ended up in the Temple courtyard, not very far from where Jesus sat.

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Mark finished the story for us.

“And He [Jesus]¹ sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’” (Mark 12:41-44, NASB)

I wonder how many of the buyers, sellers, money changers, or even priests noticed her?

Very few, I’m sure.

Jesus did. Not only did He notice, but He brought the situation to the attention of His disciples to teach them. He pointed out that though many rich people put in large sums, a sight the disciples probably noticed, the poor widow put in more than all of them.

They gave out of their surplus and she gave out of her poverty. More than that, she gave all she owned, all she had to live on.

The story melts my heart. How about yours?

Do you have a large surplus at the end of the month? Maybe you have some. Might be you have only a little—or none.

That’s okay. One of my takeaways from this account is that Jesus knows we don’t all have a large surplus. In fact, He isn’t impressed by money at all. He didn’t rally the disciples and say, “Look fellas. See those rich people noisily throwing their large amounts into the treasury? That’s the goal right there. Work hard, accumulate much, and give so all can see.”

Far from it. He recognized the poor. He highlighted her heart and her faith. She didn’t give out of her surplus, she gave out of her poverty. Most people might have offered her money rather than expecting her to give—all she had to live on.

She did her best.

There is hope in that.

When I saw the scooter sitting outside a nursing home, I thought, “There’s someone doing the best they can. They could have chosen to stay home. As they stepped outside, maybe knowing they wouldn’t be home until after dark, they could have given up. They didn’t. They did their best.”

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.

¹ [Jesus] reference added to text for clarity by Tim Richards.