K.P.’s Corner

I will never forget the sacrifice of one dear retired widow, whom I met on a speaking tour. Excited about how much she still could do even though she wasn’t working, she pledged to help sponsor a missionary out of her tiny Social Security cheque.

After six months I received a very sad letter from her.

“K.P.,” she wrote, “I am so privileged to be supporting a missionary. I’m living all alone now on only a fixed income. I know when I get to heaven I’m going to meet people who have come to Christ through my sharing, but I must reduce my support because my utility bills have gone up. Please pray for me that I will find a way to give my full support again.”

When my wife, Gisela, showed me the letter, I was deeply touched. I called the woman and told her she need not feel guilty—she was doing all she could. I even advised her not to give if it became a greater hardship.

Two weeks later, another letter came.

“Every day,” she wrote, “I’ve been praying for a way to find some more money for my missionary. As I prayed, the Lord showed me a way—I’ve disconnected my phone.”

I looked at the cheque. Tears came to my eyes as I thought how much this woman was sacrificing. She must be lonely, I thought. Without a phone, she would be cut off from the world.

“Lord,” I prayed, as I held the cheque in both hands, “help us to remain true to You and honor this great sacrifice.”

This widow’s sacrifice has inspired others in ways I never would have imagined. … I praise God for the example of this dear woman and of many others like her.

Thank you for being one of those many people who have sacrificed so more people can experience Christ’s great love. When we stand worshipping the Lord together for all eternity, we will stand alongside people whose lives have been touched through our obedience to Him. May the Lord encourage all of us in remembering these sacrifices are worth it.

Some of this material appeared on K.P. Yohannan’s blog “Living in the Light of Eternity” on December 20, 2018. You can find the entire post at www.patheos.com/blogs/kpyohannan/2018/12/widows-sacrifice/.