the most humble gift

i have been humbled by the generosity of a woman i barely know.

rachel has been attending our church for the past 6 months or so. i remember the first sunday she visited. she came clunking down the steps of our sanctuary (it's an old school auditorium with stairs leading from front to back) in a wheelchair, apologizing with every thud her wheels made as they hit the next step. she was completely different than the rest of our congregation -- older, a little more rough around the edges. as time went on, i found out rachel lives mostly on food stamps and disability payments. she once struggled with addiction. she uses a motorized wheelchair to get around town. i also learned she loves art and playing the flute.

she is one of the kindest souls i've ever met.

last night, she approached us at church with a gift haphazardly covered in bright red wrapping paper. "i picked a gift for you that i thought you would think was pretty, and that jamie could feel the texture," she told me. when i unwrapped the present, i found three small wooden pieces -- a teapot, tea kettle, and frying pan -- that can hang on the wall. my heart was crushed in a million pieces as i thought about rachel's generosity to us. she said, "i had been praying God would help me buy christmas presents, and then someone left a box of gently used stuff on my porch one day. so i prayed over the things and asked God to show me what i should give each of my friends."

thank you, rachel, for reminding me that generosity is not about how much you give someone but rather the heart from which you give.