"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." —Luke 21:3-4 (NIV)
It took every ounce of energy I had to fill the basket. My out-of-town friend was going through a rough time. Her husband had recently left her and she admitted to me that lately she'd never felt more unloved and unlovely. When I prayed about it, the idea came to me to make her a "Tea Party" basket. I found a pretty little teapot and cup and saucer, some herbal teas and cookies, and wrapped it all up with a phone card and instructions to call me whenever her heart needed a lift and we would have "tea for two" by telephone.
To find just the right things, I had to shop at several stores. If I hadn't been in so much pain, it would have been pure pleasure, but by the time I finished up at the mall, I was so weary that I found myself stopping every few feet to rest. I couldn't stop comparing myself to friends who were strong and healthy, who juggled a full-time job, children, church and community work, and still managed to have fun, when I could sometimes barely make it through another day.
A few days later, my friend telephoned, eager to begin our tea party. "This is the dearest thing anybody ever thought of," she told me. "You never complain, but all I could think about was how you must have gone from store to store to find all these things, then waited in line at the post office with your head throbbing. It meant even more knowing that you did this for me when you feel so bad yourself."
Lord, when I reach the end of myself, You do Your very best work. Take everything I have—including my weakness—and use it for Your glory.
—Roberta Messner