Offer What You Have

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Colossians 3:17

The night before Micah’s class party, I noticed an unread message in my Inbox.  The Class Mom was thanking me for volunteering to bring the Carrot and Celery Turkey Cups…

Turkey Cups? UGH! I thought I’d signed up for carrot and celery sticks.

Apparently, I didn’t scroll down to the bottom of her previous email. I’d missed the Pinterest example she’d attached. How could I make such a rookie mistake?!

If having elementary school kiddos has taught me anything, it’s ALWAYS scroll to the END of email messages. For real. Read. The. Whole. Thing.

If you don’t, you’ll miss crucial sentences:

"Please have your child dress like his/her favorite super hero." 
"RSVP yesterday or your kids won’t get a party favor." 
"Shhhhh! It’s a surprise!"

It was too late to make a frantic Michael’s run. A crazy-lady-mental-inventory would have to suffice:

Plastic cups...
Brown paper...
I THINK I have orange paper...
But those eyes…no way was I cutting teensy-tiny circles this late.
I’m pretty sure I have sticky googly eyes in the closet. Although, I’m not sure why…
Ah, yes…I had googly eyes. But not one was the same size!

I was at a Mamma crossroads: Do I use what I have, or just throw in the towel?

Isn’t life like that? We don’t have the ‘perfect’ thing to offer, so we’re tempted to offer nothing.

If it’s not mismatched googly eyes, it’s... 
a house that’s too small for gatherings...
only an hour a week to write...
or lasagna that’s not as good as mom’s.

So why help in the classroom?
Why invite people over?
Why write a blog?

It’s hard to give from areas we feel "less than." The enemy hisses in these shallow spaces, "God can’t use this, don’t even bother."

"Really, Satan?"

 Because, I remember a boy who offered five small loaves and two small fish. Jesus used them to feed multitudes. (John 6:9)

I know a story about a widow who offered a little oil and a handful of flour. God never allowed her jars to run dry. (1 Kings 17:7-16)

There once was a man slow of speech and tongue. He was hesitant to offer his voice. God used him to stand against Pharaoh and set his people free. (Exodus 4:10)

As a Mamma, sometimes all I can offer is a pile of dirty dishes, never-ending laundry, sick kiddos and pets I forget to feed. We all have moments like Moses saying to God,  Are you sure you want this? I don’t have much to offer you.

Offer it anyway.

He sees every scrap of bread, shaky insecurity, dirty sock and mismatched googly eye we raise up to him.  He’ll use it!

He delights in making small things significant.

God gives us joy when we give from our shortage, rather than our supply. 

This creates space for God to show up, not only in our lives, but in the lives of others. Jesus fed hungry masses in response to a boy’s meager offering. He provided security for the widow’s child when she presented a handful of flour. Moses set people free, laying bare his shortcomings, trusting God to use them.

The kiddos and I giggled late into the evening finishing those silly cups.  Life isn’t always dramatic. Those awful turkeys didn’t set any captives free, but God handed us back layers of laughter that overflowed into the classroom the next morning.

We used what we had. It was enough for God to turn into joy.

by Jenna Masters