Trusting our lives totally to God

We can often have an image of God as the divine accountant who measures out whether we have a credit or debit balance. While we may not articulate this in what we say, it can be displayed in the way we choose to live. We can tend to hedge our bets and believe that as long as we live with a credit balance that we are on the inside track. This weekend’s gospels tell a very different story. It is not about giving God what is left over but an offering of our whole lives. What God wants is not just what we choose to give he wants everything. This can seem too much, too radical and too demanding. If we give God everything what will be left for us? However, this is what lies of Elijah’s discussion with the widow. She believes that she can just provide enough for one last meal for her son. She is barely in a position to share anything. Similarly the widow who puts all that she has to live on into the Temple treasury. Both of these women rely totally on God’s word and discover that in offering everything that nothing is lost. They discover a God who can make more out of their offering than they can do solely by themselves. This is a surrender which places complete trust in God. It is not easy to come to that place, it takes prayer, it requires trust and it requires an acceptance that God can do more with our lives than we could do on our own.