Whatever I have

As my mind has been full and my heart heavy with the idea that there are so many children who are not taken care of, I ran across something yesterday that I wanted to share.  In Acts 3, Peter and John are walking into the temple courts and they see a man lame from birth who is begging at the gate.  Peter calls out to him and says, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you." (Acts 3:6)  And then they healed the man in the name of Jesus Christ.  

I thought about that for a while.  I do not have very much silver and gold to give.  (i.e. money) But God is not asking for me to always give money...God is asking for all of us to give what we have.  Right now what I have to give is my time and my love.  It's my forgiveness and grace.  It's my desire to pick up a small child and hug them, to let them know that they matter in the grand scheme of things.  It's to smile at a man in the street and say hello...and really look him in the eye to let him know that I value him.  It's to serve someone in our house without asking for them to serve me back, just to let them know that I love them.  

I don't know what it might be for you or what you have to give.  But I think that God really does ask us to give it away, whatever that is.  And in turn, what I'm finding is that we receive much more than we could ever give.  Remember that when help someone in need we are really serving Christ.  So, go do it.  Today...give what you have to those around  you!