Quietly looking down, she went into the Temple. She was very embarrassed as she took out all the money she had – just two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Once she threw them into the big brass bowl, she went to a far corner in her poor old clothes, lifted her heart up to God and said, “Lord, this is all that I have! This is my whole life and I offer it to You. Please accept it and forgive me my sins.”

In the midst of the crowds in the Temple, this poor widow was not aware that someone was watching her, and observing silently her great deed. Our Lord Jesus was standing and watching people donating in the Temple, just as He is until now in the Church, and in many places in the world, observing each of us donating and giving.

Our Lord Jesus stood in the Temple and said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;  for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood” (Mark 12:43-44).

We all know this timeless story, but whenever we read it we face a pressing question: how can our Lord Jesus say that the widow’s two very small copper coins (mites) were more than the donations of other people?

Perhaps the answer can be explained by the following: 1 – Perhaps our Lord meant that the love behind this woman’s donation is far greater than anyone else’s. Giving is measured by the love behind it, not by its monetary value.

2 – Perhaps Christ measures giving by how much it is relevant to what we have. This lady gave 100% of what she had, that is all she had. Some offer 50%, that is half of what they have, which is also a high percentage. Some offer 10%, that is only their tithes, and some offer less than that.  From that perspective, that woman had indeed offered more than all, regardless of the monetary value of the two small copper coins.

In fact, this measurement would probably embarrass many of us, but it is beneficial for us to face our weaknesses and strive to grow in our giving.

This lady, through her beautiful example of giving, has shown us how to give:

1 – Giving to Christ should not be from our leftovers, but also from our needs, and from the best we have. This of course depends on how much love we have for God in our hearts. Generally, the more we grow in our love for God, the more we grow in giving.

2 - We give in secret. Our Lord Jesus rejoices when our giving is in secret, as much as possible. It means that our giving is for HIM only, and not to gain glory from people.

 3- We give with liberality (Romans 12:8) as we trust that "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7), and also "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6)

4- We give bravely and cheerfully, "for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7) this means he will be full and satisfied with the Lord’s love, and his heart would overflow with joy and true happiness. Happiness and blessing are truly found in giving more than receiving (Acts 20:35).