SAYING GRACE: No offering is too small when placed in God's hands
This past August, my extended family and I visited Black Mountain, North Carolina, for a week. The first night we arrived, I wondered if we would ever get to our cabin as we wound our way up the narrow, steep road. I was shocked and filled with just a tinge of fear when I realized that the incline of the driveway that led to our vacation home was at a nearly 45-degree angle. I wondered why in the world anyone would want to live in a place that was so hard to access.
It didn't take long for me to find the answer to my question. The view the next morning from our cabin window was breathtaking. What had been just a jumble of tangled shadows the night before became a tapestry of shades of green topped with an azure blue sky.
When we ventured into town, I realized that it wasn't just the landscape that made Black Mountain beautiful. The people we met were so kind and welcoming. Sometimes when you visit a new town, you get the feeling from the locals that they view you suspiciously and wish you weren't there. In Black Mountain and the surrounding areas, we were made to feel like long-lost friends.
This wonderful experience has made the images of the flooding and its aftermath all the more gut-wrenching. It is difficult to reconcile the before and after. How could such beauty turn into tremendous devastation? My heart breaks for those who have lost everything, but even more so for those who have lost loved ones. My instinct is to do something to help, but I am overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the need, but then I remember what God can do with my little when I am willing to put it in His hands and share it with others.
We can find one such example in chapter 14 of the Book of Matthew. In this story, a large crowd has gathered around Jesus in a remote place. He had been seeking a time of solitude, but when He saw them, He had compassion for them and healed those among them who were sick.
As evening drew near, His disciples came to Him and told Him to send the crowds away so they could go to the villages and buy food. Jesus responded by instructing the disciples to feed the people themselves.
One of the disciples exclaimed, "Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!" Another said, "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what is that with this huge crowd?"
In response, Jesus told everyone to sit down. Then He took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. He then did the same with the fish. Not only did everyone eat as much as they wanted, but the disciples were able to fill 12 baskets with the leftover scraps.
I understand the disciple's sentiment when he asks, "What is what I have in the face of such a great need?" What Jesus' actions remind me of is that He has compassion for not just the spiritual needs but for the physical needs of people, as well. No contribution is too small when placed in God's hands, as we trust Him to provide abundantly for those in need.
As I was going through my calendar yesterday, I found a list of places I had made to visit in the Asheville area during our vacation. Tears filled my eyes as the harsh reality set in—most of those places are gone. People's entire lives have been washed away in the raging currents of water that no one expected to come down those mountains. It is time for our nation to come together to meet the immediate and long-term needs as the people of western North Carolina grieve what they have lost and try to rebuild for a brighter future.
Samaritan's Purse has organized a five-site disaster relief network in the areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. They are currently accepting donations and looking for volunteers to help with their efforts. You can find more information about how you can help at samaritanspurse.org .
Heather Ablondi is a women's ministry speaker and author who lives in Fredericksburg. You can contact her through her website, heatherablondi.com .
