"The widow's mite - more than enough..."

“You satisfy me
with your Love.
And all I have in You,
is more than enough...”

I know I've written about this subject before in a previous post, but I've been thinking about Chris Tomlin's "Enough," again, in light of Mary Baker Eddy's statement:

“The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty,
and glory of infinite Love fill all space.
That is enough!”.”

and a story that was recently shared on TMCYouth's Radical Acts comment thread for "Sell all you have, and give to the poor." The contributor, Nina, shared:

A friend told me a beautiful story yesterday about $20 being enough.

This was back in the ’40s in a rural African-American community. My friend was doing odd jobs, looking for work. An elderly woman asked him to do major repairs on her house. When he finished, she gave him $20. It was a small amount for all that work, but it was all she had. If he’d accept it, she said, God would make sure he’d never lack for a day in his life.

He graciously accepted it, never doubting. Two days later he was invited to begin construction work at a military facility. He ended up running a large crew, earned enough to raise his seven daughters, and gained the respect of the whole community. He retired with a generous pension 37 years, 4 months, and 13 days later.

“Sell all you have and give to the poor” can’t have a rigid meaning. What’s all? Who’s poor? Only GIVING seems to matter — giving something that’s not trivial to you.

So, today I've been thinking about this concept of infinite Love being "enough," in conjunction with another loved spiritual insight I've written about, "the law of appreciation" (when we appreciate something -- acknowledge, and are grateful for it's value, it appreciates -- grows in value) and how our concepts of "time" would measure, limit, and undermine our ability to see the timeless nature of Love's expanding care for us.

Here is my comment in response to Nina's:

I love this Nina…

When we give from the deep heart of Love…impelled by Love, resourced by Love, full of Love…it is always enough.

Since reading your post I have been thinking about the “time” element in this story. We might be tricked into thinking, “ah yes, it was in the 40s and $20 went further…” But if time is not a factor (but only as Mrs. Eddy said: “a mortal measurement”)
then whatever has value can’t have (as you have suggested) a rigid value. Value is a spiritual concept and must be as expansive as Sprit itself. So, instead of something that represents “value” ever shrinking, it must grow, expand, appreciate. And when we appreciate something (see recognize it’s value and are grateful) it appreciates (grows in value).

This is a spiritual concept, “the law of appreciation,” that I have been exploring for a couple of decades now, but your story about this woman’s promise that “if he accepted it (her widow’s mite…which had GREAT value to her) he would never lack for a day in his life” seems to have given me another piece of the puzzle. Appreciation doesn’t know time…it only knows it’s own nature…it’s own operation of spiritual law…gratitude and growth, gratitude and growth. Always expanding, never confined to the rigidity of “time” (mortal measurements).

This is leading me deeper...

I don't know where this thought-thread is going to take me today, but I know it's of value, it has substance, and I am not going to be distracted from appreciating it...and watching it appreciate in my heart.

Here is a link to the "Sell all that you have, and give to the poor," thread on Radical Acts if you would like to see all the comments in context.

always with Love,

Kate
so, I was sitting by the river, "thinking on these things" and here are some follow-up thoughts that have set my heart on fire:

one more thought…if time is not a factor in Spirit, every single act of generosity (without any regard for mortal measurements…) when appreciated continues to appreciate FOREVER!! It is always growing in value in our lives, always expanding, always appreciating…each time we appreciate what we have received from the great heart of Love (widow’s mite, or millionaire’s charity…it doesn’t matter in Spirit, they are both just expressions of illimitable, infinite Love) we are “watering” our field of vision so that we can SEE what expansive good is already in front of us.

So, perhaps it’s both about the giving, and the “accepting” (to use the woman’s term) how we accept the Love-inspired gift (with gratitude, wonder, appreciation) engages us more fully in this law of appreciation that is timeless, unstoppable, ever-expansive….

more to noodle on…whewww…I LOVE Radical Acts…full engagement!!!

again with Love, Kate