offerings

Tessa, age 4 going on 40,
February 2013.

My niece Tessa and I were spending a few minutes together after her sisters went to bed on Friday night (she was
supposed to be in bed too) when I noticed a glimpse of something shiny in her hand.

"What is that in your hand?" I asked.

She immediately unclenched her tiny fist and revealed a quarter. She held her hand flat out to me with the quarter perfectly centered on her palm.

"Where'd you get that quarter?"

"Under my pillow."

"Did you lose a tooth?" I asked. (Later I realized this was a ridiculous question since the tooth fairy gives dollars these days.)

"No."

"Then where did the quarter come from?"

"Daddy gave it to me."

"Were you supposed to put it somewhere?" I asked, thinking maybe she had a piggy bank or some other treasure box where this bit of wealth was supposed to be housed. I couldn't imagine that Daddy had told her to put the quarter under her pillow.

"In the church," she said. It dawned on me that my brother must have given each of the kids a quarter to put in the offering plate the last time they had gone to church.

Fairview Friends Church,
rightful owner of Tessa's quarter.
New Vienna, Ohio.

"Did you forget to put it in the plate?" I asked. At no point did Tessa show any guilt for having this quarter or fear that I was going to take it from her. She continued to hold it in front of me in the palm of her hand as we had this matter-of-fact exchange.

"Daddy said to give it to the church. But I was sitting on it." (Presumably when the offering plate passed by.)

"So you are keeping it under your pillow until next time you go to church?" I asked.

She nodded. Then asked, "Are you going to church on Sunday?"

"Yes," I said.

"Here you go," she said, handing me the quarter happily. (This is my favorite Tessa phrase. She is always handing me things happily--dandelions, coloring pages, crumbs--and saying "Here you go.")

"You want me to give it to the church for you?" I asked, to be sure.

"Yes. Daddy gave it to me to give to the church."

"Okay," I said. "I will give it to the church on Sunday for you."

"Hug and kiss," she requested as I tucked her in to bed. I was happy to oblige.

The quarter.

I love this exchange with Tessa on so many levels.

It taught me about ownership--Tessa knew the quarter was not hers. And it wasn't Daddy's either. It belonged to the church, and so it was easy for her to give it up to its rightful owner.

It reminded me of the story of the widow's mite, in which Jesus says the poor widow's two cents are worth more than all the other offerings because she gave all that she had. Most of us are willing to give a little out of the immense wealth that we have, but this was Tessa's only quarter and still she gave it to the church.

I couldn't help but think of my original question to Tessa: "What is that in your hand?" When God called Moses to lead the people to the Promised Land, Moses started out by making excuses why he couldn't do it. But God responded by saying, "What is that in your hand?" In other words, God didn't want to know what Moses didn't have, He wanted to know what Moses did have. And God used what Moses did have--a walking staff--and used it to part the Red Sea, among other miracles and wonders. If we will offer God what we do have--a stick, a quarter, our voice, heart, determination, talents, a keyboard, or a pen--He can make miracles out of them.

EMBRACE OFFERINGS.

We all have something to give.


Listening to Pray by Sanctus Real: "You know my heart, You know my need, You know every part of me; More than words, You want my life, Take it as an offering."