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GIVE ALL YOU HAVE
... This poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all
of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of
her poverty has put in all she had to live on.
My
housemate Mary Nelson and I used William Barclay's commentaries
on the gospels for our noon Bible studies when we were teaching
in Tanzania. It was such a poor country that verses like this
one were easy to understand. I gave music lessons. Elifrieda
really wanted to learn to play our little portable organ so she
could help with music at her home church, but she couldn't
afford the shilling (25 cents) I charged for a semester. She had
told me her brother needed a new leg brace to walk, but it would
cost $10 and her family didn't have that money. I told Elifrieda
she didn't have to pay me. But when she came back for the second
semester, she brought several eggs from her mother. She said
there would have been more, but some broke on the long bus trip.
The desire to learn music so she could serve her church was so
great, she gave all she had for the chance to learn.
Concerning the value of a gift, Barclay said, "There is the
spirit in which it is given. A gift which is unwillingly
extracted, a gift which is given with a grudge, a gift that is
given for the sake of prestige or self-display loses its value.
The only real gift is the gift which is the inevitable outflow
of the loving heart, the gift which is given because the giver
cannot help giving it." And, "a gift only shows our love when we
have to do without something or work doubly hard in order to
give it."
A missionary family in Moshi shared their meals with us when we
went to town. The Mortensons had a cute little boy named Greg.
None of us suspected he would grow up to start an organization
that would bring schools to girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
On a mountain climbing expedition, he got lost and nearly froze
to death. He was saved by people of a small village. The
experience gave him a new direction in life. Many of you have
read his first book, "Three Cups of Tea." He now goes in love to
share the gift of education with thousands of children.
Dear
Lord, we don't know our future, but we do know that your love
can change us. Help us to see that service in your name is the
greatest gift we can give. Amen.
Glennyce Reimers
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