The Widow and the Rich Man

Matthew and I live on a strict budget. We know how much we get in each month and how much goes out, and to whom. We have records of our budget saved from the last 6 years. If I wanted to tell you how much we spent on gas in April of 2010, I could look that up for you.
Matthew is a *little* bit of a nerd, I love that part of him the most because it is the most different from me. I’m what Dave Ramsey would call the “free spirit”. The two of us together almost always balance each other out. In the case of money, balancing equaled arguing, at least for a while. After several “discussions” we put a budget on paper, and eventually that budget went digital, and has evolved into what we have now.

OK – why am I talking about our budget?

Well, the Bible talks about money a lot.  Lately, I have been considering the stark contrast between a couple of different stories.   The Widow’s Last Mite and Jesus and the Rich Man.  Here’s the shortened version of both stories:

The Widow –  Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

The Rich Man –   The Rich Man came to Jesus and asked what he must do to get to heaven.  Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Wow – as I pondered the very different people in these stories I couldn’t help but ask my self, which one am I?

There was a time in our (Matthew and I) lives when we lived pay check to pay check and they were very small pay checks.  We would have conversations that went like this, “We have to pay rent and utilities, everything else will have to go”.  I could relate to the widow.  When we dropped our cash in the offering plate on Sunday, it hurt.  But we still gave.  It wasn’t the ‘last of our livelihood’  but it was a real sacrifice for God.

Fast forward 5 years.

Matthew got a new job that pays all our bills and all our “un-necessary” bills too!  Praise the Lord!  We have insurance, we even have dental!  I get to have a grocery budget each week and I can turn the satellite TV back on!  I find myself a part time job making minimum wage and bring home just enough that we get to have a date night each month and can afford to go out and eat lunch after church on Sunday.  God is Good.    Now guess who I can relate to?  That’s right.  The Rich Man.  I feel the same turmoil as the Rich Man.  I think “I do all the right things God, I follow the rules, and go to church.  What else can I do?”  The answer is quite scary.  Give up everything.  Everything?  WHOA.  I have been there before, I don’t want to give it all up.

Having experienced both sides of the coin, I am very torn when I read these contrasting stories.  I think the crux of the matter comes down to the position of your heart and the strength of your faith.  The widow gave her last mite because her heart was  devoted to Christ.  I also think that her faith was STRONG.  The rich man had everything he ever needed, but couldn’t quite picture himself giving up all of it.  Its all about faith and you heart.  Like when Matthew and I had no money, our faith had to be ramped up.  Its almost a “law of diminishing returns” type of relationship.  When you have plenty of money, you don’t need faith as much.  When you have very little money, you need heaps of faith to believe it will all work out.

I believe that we have found a happy medium in the area if giving.  And although its not selling all we have, it is what we believe in our hearts is the right gift for us.  It also requires us to have faith that God is going to provide for our needs, just like he has in the past; and that He will use those gifts for the good of our church family.

What is your happy medium?  Are you more similar to the widow?  Or closer to the rich man?  Either position you find yourself in, your gift can always be used if you chose to give it.