Our Blessings

Read Ezekiel 16:9-14; Ephesians 3:14-21

s All shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.
-Deuteronomy 16:17 (NRSV)

EACH day during Lent I put aside coins in a jar as a reminder of God's blessings. A Christian charity made suggestions for each day: "Give a coin for every pair of shoes that you own." I counted eight pairs, and then I thought about the many children who have to go barefoot. Another day I gave some money for each meal I'd eaten that day, as a reminder that many go hungry and die of starvation. Jesus had nowhere to lay his head (see Matt. 8:20), so another day I counted the number of beds in my home and gave an amount for each one. I have so much to be thankful for: clean water, food, clothes, shelter, work, electricity, gas, peace, freedom.

Jesus identified with those who had little. After all, as a toddler he was a refugee. As an adult he had no home of his own; he was rejected in his hometown and eventually died on the city's rubbish dump. He ministered to all sorts of people, but he had a particular concern for people who were poor.

How much am I willing to give? At the end of Lent I'll add up all the money I've collected and send it to the charity. But it will be a tiny sum compared to all that God has given me.

by Pam Pointer (Wiltshire, England)