Finn, a colorful Siamese Fighting Fish, lived at our house for two years. During that time my young daughter would often bend down and talk with him after dropping food into his tank. When the topic of pets came up in kindergarten, she proudly claimed him as her own. Eventually, Finn passed away, and my daughter was heartbroken.
After our fish expired, my mother advised me to listen to closely to my daughter’s feelings and tell her, “God knows all about it.” I agreed that God knows everything, yet wondered, How will that be comforting? Then it occurred to me that God isn’t simply aware of the events in our lives. With compassion He sees into our souls and knows how they affect us personally. He understands that “little things” can feel like big things depending on our age, past wounds, or lack of resources.
Jesus saw the real size of a widow’s tithe and her heart as she dropped two coins into a temple collection box. He described what it meant for her as He said, “This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. . . . She [put in] all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44).
The widow kept quiet about her situation but Jesus recognized that what others considered a tiny donation was a sobering sacrifice to her. He sees our lives in the same way. May we find comfort in His limitless understanding.