I saw the most beautiful display of sacrificial love this past weekend.  Believe it or not it involved raspberries.

Raspberries have the currency of gold in my sister’s house. Every morning for breakfast there is a Garden of Eden fruit spread. Her Garden of Eden fruit splurge stems from a childhood where our food options were basic. Four growing kids, and tight food budget, meant my mom shopped every night, to prevent us from eating her out of house and home. During our childhood, the Garden of Eden never visited us.

I witnessed a truly sacrificial act during my last visit to southern California.  We had just finished grocery shopping. We carried out our Garden of Eden haul, which was condensed into three shopping bags. I was leading the pack to the car with my 12-year old nieces on either side.  My sister was trailing behind. Unbeknownst to us, she had stopped given the homeless man, perched outside the store, a container of her highly coveted raspberries. 

As we left the parking lot we saw him with the open container eating the raspberries.

I can’t help but be reminded of the story in the Bible of all the people at the Temple giving their tithes.  The non-stop clanging of the vessels as the rich poured in their coins. Then the humble clink clink of the widow as she dropped in her last two cents. 

What did Jesus say about the widow’s offerings?

 “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

They all gave out of their wealth;

but she, out of her poverty put in everything- all she had to live on.”

Mark 12: 43 NIV

My sister’s raspberry gift helped me understand Jesus’ story like never before. I had just seen raspberry love in action.  My sister’s unplanned, immediate, thoughtless, obedient gifting of her prized possession, to a needy stranger, was far more beautiful than any of my deliberate, debated and calculated donations.  

“Remember this- a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small a crop.

But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give.

And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.

“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

And God will generously provide all you need.

Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

As the scriptures say,

“They share feely and give generously to the poor.

Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

II Corinthian 9: 6-9 NLT

What is your raspberry mamas?

When was your last unplanned, immediate, thoughtless, obedient raspberry offering?

If you can’t recall, maybe today is your day to practice being a cheerful giver of raspberries.