What are you lacking?
Five years ago I was working a laborious job as a sales director for a production company in Hollywood. The titles may sound glamorous, but it was one of the worst jobs I have ever endured. I would leave my house at 6 a.m. to drive an hour into Hollywood, work long hours making cold calls, and get paid a very meager wage for my time and effort. But, I was desperate for money and also going through a painful divorce at the time that poured more bills into my already debt-filled lap. Every day was a labyrinth requiring my greatest survival skills.
One day after work, my stomach was growling terribly loud and I knew that the banana I had eaten for breakfast that morning was not enough to sustain me through the rest of the drive home. So, with only pennies to my name I scraped together loose change out of my purse and my car to buy a $1.09 bean burrito at Taco Bell near my office. I sat in the drive-thru car line wondering how I was going to drive an hour home with less than a quarter tank of gas in my car. I found a five-dollar-bill in my wallet, but that was all I had for the rest of the week.
I got the hot bean burrito and gently placed it on the passenger seat next to me as if it were literally my last meal. I drove over to the gas station, turned off my car and gave the cashier my five-dollar-bill. Clunk. Clunk. The five dollars didn’t go very far. God, please help me make it home and not get stranded on the side of the road.
I got in my car, turned the ignition and right before I put the gear into drive I looked up to see an older, haggard man standing right in front of my car. He motioned to me for money. I could tell he was homeless and had not eaten in quite a while. I looked over at the warm bean burrito still waiting to be devoured by my growling stomach. I’m so hungry, but I’m sure he’s even hungrier than me.
I got out of my car, walked over to the gentleman and handed him the bean burrito. “This is all I have, but I pray you get more to eat. God bless you.”
He looked at me in wonderment as if I had just given him a million bucks. I got back in my car and began pulling forward, but before leaving I looked over to the homeless man who was now sitting on the curb eating the warm bean burrito and he smiled at me waving his hand. I waved back with a returned smile. “Bless him, Lord. Give him something to eat and a home.” I drank my tears as I drove home, not because of my hunger but because of the greater hunger God had allowed me to meet.
I walked into the front door of my friend’s house where I was staying and she said, “Jennifer, I’m so glad you’re home early! I just made steak and potatoes for dinner, and I saved you the best piece!”
Tears began welling up in my eyes again as I realized how much God loves to bless those who give not out of abundance, but out of the joy of their hearts. It reminded me of what Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:37, 38 NLT).
Give. Even the smallest things are never overlooked. God sees everything.
