Luke 21: 2-4
2. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4. For all thee have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury
hath cast in all the living that she had.
The widow’s mite – she gave all she could give and that was enough! What she gave was different from those around her. It wasn't the normal. She was looked down on, but yet she gave and it was enough to the Lord.
I look at the picture by Sandra Rast and sit in awe. Here is a woman who is probably physically and mentally exhausted, hungry, discouraged, and trying to figure out how else she can keep going. Yet she still gives 2 mites to the Lord.
How did she find the strength to even go to the temple to give the two mite? How did she find the strength to go when she knew what she had to give would be looked down upon? How did she find the strength to go when she knew she was different from everyone around her?
Since my car wreck, my service I can give the Lord is very different from what the "normal" is or was for me. I don't have the energy to cook meals for people anymore, clean, babysit, go visit people, etc. Because I can't do the "normal" service, I find myself struggling to be okay with serving. I worry about what people will think. I worry it won't be enough. I stress out and worry! That stress and worry ends up holding me back from serving. I don't want to disappoint people, so it's easier not to serve. Yet, I find myself longing for something more.
In the mountains of Northern Morocco live a village full of Berber people. These people are known as the mountain people. They have their own language, their own school system, even their own flag. These people are simple people. They have kept to basic living needs. Their sense of community is most important to them. Zac and I had the opportunity to visit a few of their cities while on vacation in Morocco. The city of Chefchaoun was my most favorite. We had a private tour with a young man who was born and raised in this city. He was proud to tell us of their history, but most proud to tell us about their community. As we toured he told us how the people did most of their daily living together. In each of their communities they had their four main focus points – neighborhood church, neighborhood oven, neighborhood laundry, and neighborhood showers. Though most people have an oven, washer and showers in their homes, they still gather together at certain times to be together as a community. This amazed me as I listened to his city’s history. Why would anyone every choose to still wash their clothes in an old school concrete slab, gravity slanted pool? Why would anyone ever want to shower together as a community? Why would anyone choose to walk a couple of blocks just to cook their bread? These people even choose to paint their homes on the same days. I couldn’t understand the mindset. It seemed so inconvenient and just plain weird if you asked me. As he continued to talk to us, my mind was opened to an understanding I once had, but somewhere in life lost. They gathered together to do these old “rituals” not because it was convenient, but because it was a way to bless each other’s lives. It was a way to minister together. It was a way to lift one another burdens. It was a way to be a friend. They wanted to support each other in the daily mundane life chores. As I watched these people, especially this tour guide, I was stunned at the amount of happiness, peace and contentment he had in his life. He knew he could move to a bigger city and make more money, but he had no desire to do so. He wanted to help his neighbors. He wanted to support his community! Our tour was 2 hours long and throughout the tour, he could name everyone we passed by name. He would stop and ask how they were. He would stop and hold a child. He knew everyone and everyone knew him. As we left that city I knew I was missing a basic concept in my life. I knew if I wanted to find happiness again I needed to serve my fellow men.
Since I've been back from Morocco I've searched for ways that I can serve. The way I serve now is by reaching out to people through text, door dashing food to people, sending gift cards, singing in my church choir, and the biggest one is running a my business. I've been trusting that even though my service is "different", it's still enough and the Lord is accepting it.
This last week I had the opportunity to find peace in the service I am doing. If you follow me on social media you saw the pictures. I received pictures and videos of a little girl who has struggled from utero with health. She's now 5 years old and just gaining the confidence to walk. The video is of her climbing a ladder in my little gym. The pictures are of her on the bars and climbing rope with the largest smile! The moment I saw it, I teared up. My sacrifices for the gym are all worth it. For this one moment, I was able to provide an opportunity of pure joy to a child!
I learned this week - this is what service is about! It doesn't matter what our service looks like! It doesn't have to be the same service as those around us, we just need to serve! Our service, no matter how big or small, will bless someone's life for the better.
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