I came across this story last week and found it absolutely breath taking. Jesus was observing the people at the temple as they gave their offerings. He saw right through the showy display of the rich, the clank and clatter of their extravagant givings cascading into the treasury. He zeroes in on a widow, humble and quiet, as she steps forward, quietly slipping her two coins in trying not to draw any attention to her meager offering. She watches her bread money slide away and turns to fade back into the crowd. Jesus sees her heart and LOVES what she has done; calls attention to her actions! The offerings of the rich may be funding missions all over the world, but the HEART is what God looks at and in this case, the poor widow out gave them all.
I'm inspired and humbled by this story. May I learn to give from the heart. May I be sincere and courageous even when it requires 'all I have to live on'. And may I learn to see as Jesus sees.. the beauty and surrender in an act that seems trivial to the world. I have a lot to learn when it comes to these things, matters of the heart. But the more I learn, the more simple life becomes! And as I allow Jesus to have His way with my heart, the world becomes more and more beautiful!
I'm looking up synonyms for the word 'blessed' because after a week like this last one I know my overuse of that term may become slightly excessive!! My family's last week in Kona was a blur, a fantastic blur. Between dinner with friends, a beach BBQ with more friends, visiting an incredible parrot sanctuary and time spent with MORE friends; suffice it to say our wonderful 'family' here completely enveloped Dad, Mom and Abe. The love we have discovered in this church is unlike anything we've ever known and my family was quick to discover this.
['practicing up' with one of our favorite little men!]
After working so hard at the coffee farm it was nice to have a few days with not much on the schedule. We went snorkeling, played board games and introduced my family to the best shaved ice on the island. Mom and I decided it was high time for a pedicure; the last time I'd had one was during our time together in August and the only remaining proof was a few specks of leftover polish on my big toes!! Dad wanted one last bowl of clam chowder. Now I know he'll be back to Hawaii, even if it's just for his fix of the creamy goodness we introduced him to!Derek and Abe can only take so many lazy days (and beatings in Sorry :) It wasn't long before they were tackling a new project, homemade longboards (basically a longer, funner version of the skateboard)! Their ingenuity and creativity amazes me. One minute they're looking up YouTube videos and the next thing I know they've bought supplies and are working away. Their boards turned out great and they spent some quality time cruising and scheming on improvements for the next ones!
On Wednesday we said goodbye to the gorgeous house we'd been calling 'home' for two weeks. Thankfully it's close by, because it took two truck loads to transport everything back to the apartment! What I love about a 'vacation' or time spent in a more luxurious setting is when it still feels wonderful to come 'home'. We may not have an outdoor shower or an amazing lanai, but the familiarity and comfort that comes with your own space is hard to beat! Plus, we had work to do. Project: repaint the church basement was about to commence and that's much easier to accomplish when you're living AT the church! Once again we were amazed by the progress that five people can make and the transformation was complete after only two days!
With things like painting and cleaning on the agenda I've had quite the list of pregnancy related questions. Thankfully, I have my very own OB/GYN at church! Being able to pick her brain 24/7 is a tremendous blessing. We just have to remember not to discuss things like water breaking or lack of bladder control in mixed company, lest we scar any unsuspecting men within hearing range! Speaking of 'Peanut', our latest name for Baby Pearl, he/she is the size of an avocado right now! I have an appointment this coming week and can't wait! I realize that being in the womb is probably the safest this kid will ever be, BUT a month is a really long time to go between seeing that speedy little heart beat!
[sweet present from my love!]
My stomach is not the only thing starting to expand; as the weeks progress our excitement continues to grow as well! This last week had me feeling incredibly BLESSED as unexpected cards or letters arrived in the mail and then, best of all, a surprise package from my sister-in-law in Colorado!! Unbeknownst to me, she put together the sweetest box; my very first maternity clothes and all the best ingredients for pampering: tea, nail polish, oil for my skin and a brand new tube of Burt's Bees chap stick. I realize my hormones aren't what they used to be, but I almost started crying right there in front of the post office!! The newest 'side-effect' in this pregnant journey is forgetfulness, like 108-years-old kind of forgetfulness. I can't figure out how I flipped my eggs with no spatula and then Derek reminds me that HE flipped them kind of forgetfulness! Here's the worst episode:: We parked downtown on a busy, Kona day and I hopped out and went straight to the back of the truck so I wouldn't forget to fill Kai's water bowl. Then I circled around Derek's side and off we went. I don't know why but, thankfully, Derek glanced back at the truck and lo and behold my door was still WIDE OPEN! Lovely little pregnancy faux pas!! (For some reason my husband didn't find this quite as funny as me, though...)
We saw my parents and Abe off on Saturday and now life returns to 'normal', although that may actually mean something completely new! Thanks to all their help at the fields, we're to the point now where we just need to maintain. There's always work to be done on a farm, and 'maintaining' still means weed wacking, mowing, fertilizing and spraying (Peanut's not a fan of pesticides, though, so that job is all Derek!) but we will be able to start taking on other work, as well. We're excited to see what God has in store for us!
[sunset shenanigans captured by: Abe Riddering]
As I anticipate a brand new week I'm still thinking about the poor widow and what God wants me to take from her story. No matter what the next few days, weeks or months require of us, I want to be focused on the fact that Jesus sees my heart. If I'm giving my all, He knows. The widow gave just two cents but Jesus made an example of her for the disciples saying 'she, out of her poverty, put in everything'. That's what I long for Him to say about me, about my life, 'She gave it her all!' I'm aware that I have a long way to go, surrender is not an overnight accomplishment, but I can also see how far I've come, by His grace! May I learn to live in such a way that brings joy to my King, regardless of what I amount to by the standards of this world.
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