When We Don’t Have Much to Give

It’s before daybreak, near Mother’s Day. The pieces of my heart who will celebrate with me this weekend are still sleeping, sideways tangled in their blankets. I’m up because I know this is the time my soul rests. We all do this. We find spaces in the early morning, the after bedtime quiet, even in the middle of the night. We find spaces where we make deposits into our energy, into our spirit, into the space that we will be soon pouring out to others.

We do this because we know that loving our people can be a very expensive hobby.

There are days when we wake up with plenty in the bank. These are the days of hot breakfasts, easy yeses, and the evening activity we are happy to attend. The days when everything aligns and we are somehow able to take care of others, take care of ourselves, and have enough left over to put toward planning for another day.

And then there are the other days. The days when, by the time we brush our teeth, we know we are running on reserves. We are tired. Impatient. We have very, very little to give and stare into our reflection wondering how what we have to give will ever be enough.

I want you to soak this story into your soul for those days.

“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 cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, 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

I need you to see the widow. I love this woman. I love this woman because she is all of us. She is surrounded by the wealth we are sometimes unable to bring and yet, she still showed up. She showed up with her coins, walked her solitary self right up to the treasury, and dropped them in. She is aware of her poverty and she showed up anyway. She is beautiful and brave. Be her.

Plink. Plink. Even if it’s all you’ve got.

The other person I need you to see is Jesus. Jesus sees the crowd too. He sees the same crowd you see. The crowd all around you who, on those hard days, seems to be giving so much more, doing so much more, being so much more than you. And He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that you don’t have much to give that day. He doesn’t care about everyone else’s wealth. He only cares about you showing up. In fact, He celebrates you showing up. He brags about you. “Look at her,” He says, “look at her giving everything she can.”

So, thank you. In the coming days, I know it may come from many other people, but I wanted it to come from me too. Thank you for showing up. On the days when it is easy. On the days when it is hard. On the days when rubbing those two coins together in your pocket is the only sound of hope you have, thank you for showing up and dropping them in. He is so pleased with what you bring. Hear Him bragging on you today.

Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up. ~ Brene Brown