Earlier this week I attended another Night of Broadway Stars event at our sister site in Philly. We'd purchased a few tickets to the event and decided to invite some of our Camden-area donors to say "thank you" and, hopefully, grow our relationship with them.
One of the people I invited was the cool, artsy donor I'd mentioned in the "Pink Equal Signs" post. He brought his wife who was "joyful spirit" incarnate. Together, this couple emanated such love for Christ, humanity, and life in general...it was hard not to want to spend all my time with them.
After the show, the wife handed me a check, thanked me profusely for the gift of the evening, and they went on their way. When they were out of eye shot, I looked at the check=$55. ?? Weird amount, right? I know they aren't big money people so I was thankful for whatever they felt they could give, even surprised that they'd given anything, as I was not expecting it.
The next day I was meeting with my supervisor and her boss about various things...I debriefed the previous evening, mentioned the couple, how great they were, how awesome it was to spend time w/ them, etc. I told them about the check and mentioned the amount, which they also thought was pretty random.
A while later, I got out the check to give to our admin person to process...and noticed some writing in the memo section. "Isaiah 55 to you all!" Then it hit me...The artist (the male of the couple) told me in our first meeting that when he began to sell his paintings, he wasn't sure how to price them...so he'd pray about it and often God would provide him with a verse. He then would price the painting according to the reference of the verse (Psalm 25:8=$258, or something like that...) I figured they did this also for this particular donation...so I looked up Isaiah 55:
Invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
discovery later on in the day and then sent the referenced verse to both. Why is this a
humble? Because, I think, in our human-ness and continuing quest for the "big bucks"
we were probably hoping for more, for $555 or $5,500, or heck-$55,000. But the referenced
verse brought it all home for me...that they had thought about and contemplated what amount
God saw fit to give...and who can argue with that? Not me! And, further, it served as a lesson
and reminder to me...that He is in control of all this fundraising, that the "widow's mite" is
often greater and more significant than the fat check we may receive on occasion...and that
He will continue to teach me, humble me, and make me more like His Son throughout this process.
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