Giving God the Crusts

October 27, 2010

The Girls at the Pumpkin Patch

Moriah was pulling her sisters and cousin Evan

We’ve always tried to teach our daughters to give in the offering plate at church.  Even before they were a year old, we had them drop coins in, as it passed by.  Last Sunday, we were at a church and they were collecting the offering.  I noticed Princess Moriah had a single penny laying in her hand.  I asked her if that was all the money she had.  She said, “No, mom, that’s just all I want to give.”  I whispered to her to put the penny away and we would talk about it after church.

Later I tried to explain to her why giving a penny wasn’t good, but she didn’t understand.

Wednesday, we were driving to a pumpkin patch.  I had my princesses and my nephew, Prince Evan in the back of the van.  They were eating peanut butter sandwiches and apple slices.  Alexis gave Evan her bread crust and then gloated about how she was sharing because he was still hungry. Princess Moriah started fussing at her, “Allie, you only gave him the crust because you don’t like the crust!”  {yada...yada..yada}

All of a sudden...it clicked.  I turned to Moriah and explained how the penny and the peanut butter crust were the same thing.  It’s easy to give something that we believe to be worthless. Princess Moriah knew that a penny wouldn’t buy anything.  Princess Alexis knew that if someone else ate that “yucky” crust she wouldn’t have to.

How often do we do the same thing?  It’s so easy to give God the crusts...then stand back... nudge the guy beside you.... “Look what I just did...” 

She came to a big hill and the wagon went down so fast that it almost ran her over!