Humbles Part 4

Yeah, another humble! Not that I mind these valuable lessons=keep 'em coming, Lord!

A few days ago I received an email from a co-worker. A woman had called our Camden site and, although she historically was a New York donor (meaning she sent her gift to our corporate office) she'd gotten some material about our Camden operation and wanted to give locally (YAY!) She left her name and phone number for me to call her because she had some questions. 

My heart started beating faster and I rushed to prideful conclusions--This is it! Allllll those letters and phone calls had finally paid off! The months of planting seeds were finally going to result in an abundant harvest! I'd get a nice pat on the back and strong affirmation that my work was not in vain. My fingers couldn't type fast enough to get into our corporate database to check this woman out.

Yet as I typed, I realized the name wasn't familiar. I have a pretty decent grasp at this point at who we are targeting...I spend lots of time researching these folks, writing out notes, calling, prioritizing...Yet this woman, with her generational name (akin to Henrietta/Olive/Florence) was a new one.

I found her in the database...I looked at her giving history...3 gifts total...one per year for the last 3 years...$15 each. 

A few things clicked at that moment...First off, this wasn't "the big one"...Second, I knew I'd never reached out to this woman so she must have learned about our work from some mention in a corporate mailing=it wasn't my work that had brought her to us. Third, "Jennifer, my lovely daughter, when are you going to learn?"

I called her and left a message. She called me back a short time later..."I know I'm not a big donor", she began in her old lady voice, "but I think you are doing is so important for the children. And in Camden! Can you tell me more?" So I did...I told her about the kids we were serving there, the ones we'd taken off the streets and transferred to safe shelter in Atlantic City or Philly, I told her about the ones we served on the street via the outreach van. "Oh, how wonderful! You know, I can't give much. I'm a senior citizen and live on a fixed income...I'm not a big donor but I give what I can and my heart is big so I hope that makes a difference". Wow...I said, in a somewhat choked voice, "Ma'am, that's more important than any amount you could give and it makes all the difference". And I meant it.

In the gospel story of the widow's mite, Jesus says this in Mark's account:

"Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

"More" here in the Greek means "in quantity, number, or quality". I'm finding myself struggling more and more with these "humbles" to realign my thinking to Christ's...because I do want to feel that way, to be able to look at a $15 gift and be abundantly thankful (that's about 10 toothbrushes, 3 meals, a couple of packs of diapers). Would an unexpected $10,000 check from someone I've been cultivating for the last few months be a nice surprise? Absolutely...but what is the quality of that gift? I'm sure only God knows most of the time. Yes, we get huge donations from folks who's hearts are broken and passionate for our kids=great quality! But do we celebrate the widow's mites as well? Aren't the smallest of gifts given with the largest of hearts just as important? Even more so, in fact? Yes!

And, I trust, just as Jesus could multiply some measly loaves and fish given in faith, He can multiply the folks who give "more" from their hearts than others. But I don't want to count on that! Perhaps those rewards will go to the giver only, whether on this or the other side of life...For now, I'll try to be thankful for the "humbles" and try to be transformed by them...