“I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” (Acts 3:6)
I have always been touched by Peter’s words because they remind me that God rarely asks us to give from our abundance. More often, He asks us to give from the simple gifts we have already received.
Peter stood before a man in need with empty pockets but a full heart. He could not offer wealth or worldly solutions. What he could offer was his faith, his trust in Christ, and his willingness to be used by God. And somehow, that was enough.
How often do we focus on what we lack? We wish we were stronger, wiser, healthier, more capable. We compare ourselves to others and feel that our offerings are too small to matter. Yet God seems to delight in working through ordinary people who simply place what they have in His hands.
Mary understood this. Her Magnificat is the song of someone who knew her poverty and was unafraid of it:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.”
There is such tenderness in those words. Mary does not rejoice because she has done great things. She rejoices because God has looked upon her with love. She knows that everything is grace.
As I grow older, I find this increasingly comforting. The Lord is not asking me to be impressive. He is asking me to be available. He is not asking me to have all the answers. He is asking me to trust Him with what little I have.
A listening heart. A kind word. A prayer whispered for someone who is suffering. A faithful presence beside another person carrying a heavy cross.
These may seem like small offerings, but God has always done extraordinary things with small offerings.
Perhaps the holiest words we can pray are simply, “Lord, this is what I have. It isn’t much, but it is Yours.”
And then we leave the rest to Him.
For when we offer our poverty to God, He fills it with His abundance. When we offer our weakness, He fills it with His strength. And when we offer our hearts, He fills them with His love.
Like Peter and like Mary, we discover that the greatest gift we can give is not something we possess, but the presence of Christ living within us. And that is more precious than silver or gold.
