Gifts

 Earlier this week I received a message from a man encountering difficulty with purchasing some books from my Facebook marketplace account.  

I am not very tech savvy, so I gave him a couple of semi-wrong answers for the problem before I finally said I had updated my account information and it would probably be fixed in a few days.

His concern was that he really needed the books for Christmas for his grandchildren.

I looked back at the listing and decided for the $10 plus shipping I would call it a good deed and offered to send them to him for no charge.  

With tremendous gratitude he replied that he and his wife were both battling cancer and finances were extra tight.  This gift was very much appreciated. It would be their grandchildren's Christmas. 

Then he offered what he did have.  He asked if there was a need that he and his wife could pray for.

It would have been easy to brush him off but for some reason I paused and gave it some thought.  Then I told him that I had three college students  completing their finals this week who could really use prayers. 

This was the beautiful response he sent:

"Thank you 

My wife Dawn and I pray and will pray that God will give them wisdom in every branch of learning, that he will give them a peace during their finals, that they may not have any anxiety and that they may do well on their tests. I pray that God will bless your family in a way that would cause HIM to be pleased. I Thank God for you, and have a very merry Christmas."

This sweet man took the time to think about and write the prayers of my heart I hadn't even taken the time to think out and pray so detailed.  And he doesn't even know me or them.

He had very little, but he offered what he did have fully and completely.  He magnified his offering. 

In John 6:9, Jesus is teaching the multitude.  The people are hungry and after surveying the disciples report "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?"

What are they among so many? How can this little we have be of use? Can't you see the need here? How will this ever amount to anything?

We know that the answer is through the power of Jesus Christ.  He can take our very little and make it into something mighty.

I thought it wasn't a big deal to lose the $10.  The $10 was a very big deal to some loving grandparents battling life challenges. 

He thought his prayers were not a big deal, but it's what he had.  And his prayers were a very big deal to this mom, lovingly wanting the best for her kids. 

More importantly I was reminded once again, how our estimations of big and small so often fall short of His estimations.  

So whatever your gift, no matter how small, share it and give it and just see what God can do!