Six dollars and thirty-three cents.
It’s all the money that my 8-year
old and 11-year-old have right now … and they have asked me to donate it to
those affected by Harvey.
We were watching some coverage of
the aftermath of the storm, and we saw the story of “Mattress Mack,” the man
who opened up his high-end furniture store as a shelter. And my 11-year-old turned to me, almost with
tears in his eyes, and said, “It’s so incredible that someone would risk their
business like that to help other people.”
He immediately went to his room and scraped up all the coins he could
find (getting his 8-year-old brother to do the same) and they gave it to me to
give to the Harvey victims.
Six dollars and thirty-three cents.
“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 gave out of
their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to
live on.’” (Mark 12:42-44)
Six dollars and thirty-three
cents. It might not be much in the
world’s eyes, but it’s an incredible sacrifice in God’s eyes. Because it comes from a heart that wants to
love and help … a heart that sees the hurt and needs of other people and refuses
to do nothing … a heart that knows it doesn’t have much to give but that gives
it anyway.
‘I tell you the truth, whatever you
did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40)
What if
we all gave at least a mere six dollars and thirty-three cents to help those in
need?
What if
we all gave with our whole heart, with a desire to help, to heal, to not
sit there and do nothing while others are hurting?
What if we all lived with the knowledge that it could be our family in extreme need
someday, that we could be the ones who lose everything, the ones who are broken
and lost and afraid, the “least of these”?
What if
we all saw the “least of these” as brothers and sisters, as friends, as family, as ourselves?
What if we realized that when we give to them, we give to the Lord, that even our
smallest sacrifices matter when they're given out of a heart
overflowing with love?
What if?
I put the boys’ money in a baggie
with a note to donate to the relief efforts.
And then we went out and bought $140 worth of necessary items to donate along
with the money. And we are bringing it
to the donation drop-off tomorrow. I
want my boys to be a part of this, to feel what it feels like to physically,
financially, and emotionally reach out and be a part of the helping efforts, to
understand that we all have to do our parts to help those who need it because
we are all in need in one way or another.
I want them to remember that $6.33, even though it might seem small, is
nothing short of huge, of beautiful, of “worth it.”
I know that the little bit we donate won’t make much difference in the grand scheme of
things and that none of the victims will really see that $6.33. But – if anything – I am writing this post so that the victims of
Harvey know that they are not alone, that they are in our hearts and prayers,
that we are standing alongside them in this time of tragedy, and that even two small children care enough about them to give them all that they
have, .
God bless you all! God keep you in His comforting hands and may
He help you find healing – physical, spiritual, financial, relational. And may a tragedy like bring us together as a
nation, helping us rise above the differences that are tearing our country
apart.
“ ‘Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with
all your strength.’ … ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
“And do not forget to do
good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16)
“Do to others as you
would have them do to you … Give, and it
will be given to you. A good measure,
pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your
lap. For with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you.” (Matthew 6:31, 38)
