When Jesus watched a poor widow contribute two small copper coins to the Temple treasury, he commented that her meager gift was worth more than the large amounts contributed by those who had plenty. (Mark 12:43)

Clearly, this is a measure of worth a bit different than counting dollars and cents. What God sees in the act of giving is not the money, but the sacrifice. How appropriate, then, that giving money has replaced offering sacrifices of grain or animals. From the human side, the sacrifice is giving of material wealth, giving something valuable by society's standards. But from the divine side, the sacrifice is giving up something the individual values or needs. True sacrifice costs something. So the widow's mite, leaving her with nothing, is a worthier sacrifice than the rich persons' large sums, leaving them with 90 percent or more of their money.

But is the value of the widown's gift in being sacrificial? Is our loving, gracious God, so generous to us in divine giving, really asking us to give until it hurts, as though the pain is of value in itself? I think not. Behind the widow's sacrificial giving is trust. She can willingly give all she has to God because she knows God will provide for her. Her action is not a heart-wrenching, forced relinquishing of money; it is a heart felt acknowledgement of a trusting relationship with her Provider.