One of my friends is a great cook. She loves catering for large groups and never bats an eyelid at making hundreds of canapés for a party.
So when she cooked me some chilli con carne for dinner, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, my otherwise brilliant friend had made a crucial error. She had read ‘tbsp’ instead of ‘tsp’. That letter ‘b’, which changed teaspoons to tablespoons of spice, led to one big pan of blow-your-socks-off chilli. Let’s just say, there wasn’t enough yoghurt in the world to make it edible.
It’s not unusual for something small to do something great. Perhaps it’s a reflection of our Creator. God chose Ruth, a Gentile widow of no fortune, to be part of Jesus’ family tree. He chose David, the youngest and weakest of Jesse’s sons to be King of Israel. He celebrated the offering of two small coins from a widow in the temple.
‘…to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,’ – Ephesians 3:20
We saw God use something small to do something great at Restored’s Survivors’ Retreat last autumn. We gathered 30 women for a weekend of rest and fellowship in the beautiful Somerset countryside. One member of the network, Angela*, was unavailable but decided to contribute financially so that another survivor would be able to attend.
Angela’s gift blessed Stella*, a survivor who had been left homeless by her husband. By the time she arrived at the retreat, she had spent almost a year sofa surfing, sheltered by the kindness of friends and supported by one of our Restored Beacon churches.
When Stella arrived and was shown to her room, she immediately burst into tears of thankfulness. ‘This is the first time I’ve had my own space in so long,’ she told us. Angela wasn’t there to see Stella’s response; she didn’t need to get that ‘feel good’ for having made a difference.
Angela’s giving was Christ-like – her left hand didn’t know what her right hand was doing (Matthew 6:3) – but she gave willingly and generously, out of love, with no expectation of reward.
Angela probably never imagined the enormous difference her gift made to Stella. And yet God knew. God took Angela’s small offering and did something great with it, as He has done many times before in many people’s lives. God does immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.
What small thing could you give? What will God do with it?
Becky Watson-Lee
Admin Assistant, Restored
*Names changed
Reflect
‘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 few pence.
‘Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.”’
Mark 12:41-43
Pray
Pray for courage to give something you planned to keep.
Ask God to fill your heart with joy as you give sacrificially.
Thank Him that He values love more than the size of the gift.
Act
A generosity challenge for you to complete today:
| Give something away today that you were planning to keep – perhaps a book, a bottle or a treat. But not the forgotten thing at the back of the cupboard. The good stuff. The thing you’ll feel a little twinge letting go of. That’s generosity. |
About Restored
Restored equips the Church to stand against domestic abuse and support survivors.
Through its online community and Restored Beacon Network of churches, it offers safe spaces, peer support and recovery resources to help women find healing.
