“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44 (NIV)
Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? Who am I kidding? As moms, we’ve all felt this tension at some point.
Our quick pace of life filled with work, warming bottles, packing lunches, wiping dirty counters, and making sure everyone else’s needs are met can stir tension in our hearts and minds, and we're forced to make choices throughout each day.
Do we wake up earlier than normal to read our Bible, or do we stay in bed to get more sleep?
Do we tackle our “laundry” lists as quickly as possible (that probably includes doing laundry) instead of pausing to pray or enjoying a moment of solitude?
We’re left with this arms-in-the air, “What do I do?” feeling sometimes, right? After sharing this tension with a close friend, she kindly pointed me to a familiar story in scripture that helped me gain a perspective I’d love to encourage you with today.
In Mark 12:41-44, we read about a time when Jesus sat down near a collection box in the Temple. He watched people open their palms one by one as they dropped their offerings into the box. The rich folks dropped in large amounts of money, their surplus.
After some time had passed, I imagine Jesus tilted His head to the side, captivated, as He watched a poor widow walk up to the collection box and drop in two small coins. According to NLT Bible commentary, the widow's offering was worth a full day of pay. As a widow, she would have had no source of income after her husband’s death. Two small coins were all the widow had that day, yet she offered them to God.
In verse 43 (NLT) we read, “Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.” Although this story is about giving money, I think Jesus’ message applies to our time and attention as well.
As busy moms with stuffed calendars, combined with feelings of guilt over the things we miss, may we remember the widow. May we offer God all that we have today. Some days, our best offering will be minutes. Some days, our best offering will be hours, and some days, we can choose to make time with Jesus while doing laundry, or changing diapers, or reading stories to our kids.
Jesus isn’t concerned about the amounts we give. He’s concerned about the sacrifice and heart behind what we give.
Friend, if you’re in a season like I am where being a mom feels like a zig-zag over a straight line, I encourage you to show up each day with your two coins! Give God all you have and allow Him to fill your mind, body, and spirit in the way only He can.
Your fellow Able Mom, Mandy Johnson
Heavenly Father, thank you for your patience and grace as we do our best to steward what you’ve given us. I pray for an awareness of your presence, never forgetting how valuable our relationship is with You. We love you, Amen. Connect with Mandy: @mandycjohnson on Instagram mandy@palmsofjoy.com We NOW have this DEVO in SPANISH!!!! Check it out right here!! Devotional en Espanol: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13OjDJdYMEbVSwNivCAutJLtMlAQcKnLMhZSHLdm7sJQ/edit?usp=sharing If you didn’t hear about Mom Comm 2023, when and where, join Able Moms Communities and watch our video here. Don't miss our version of moms-night-out every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CST - laugh with your Able Moms team live on Facebook (Not an Able Mom Member yet?) Join us! Start here AbleMoms.org Follow Able Moms on IG at https://www.instagram.com/able_moms/