It Ain’t Much — Adam’s Angle

I saw a beautiful thing this past week: a simple man gave a simple gift to a great God.

The man attends one of the churches nearby. As far as I know, he’s not on any committees, he doesn’t lead worship, he’s not a part of any leadership council. He’s a quiet, friendly, family man who loves God and tries to honor Him the best he can. And this week, I believe he did.

He heard about one of the families in his church who was going through some money troubles. They needed a place to live. He talked with his wife and offered that family a place to stay in his own house. When I found out about it and talked to him, he more or less said to me, “It ain’t much. We’ve got four kids and the house is kind of busy. The room is just a narrow old den that can barely fit an air mattress or two, but what I’ve got I’m happy to give.”

His den may not have seemed like much to him, but to that family in need, I’m sure his gift meant a million. And I bet it meant a million to God, too.

His generosity reminded me of the story of the widow’s mite:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)

Like that widow or my friend who opened up his home, you may not feel like you’ve got much to give. But the good news is that the quality of the gift doesn’t matter; the quality of the heart does.

And, better yet, God notices.

— Adam’s Angle
4/26/09