The Last Half-Crown

“Give to the one who asks you.” — from Matthew 5

Hudson wanted to be a missionary in far-off China, where he would have to trust God for everything. So he decided to start practising trusting God right away.

One night he had just one coin left in the whole world — a single half-crown. Late that evening a poor man begged him to come and pray for his wife, who was very ill. In their bare, cold room Hudson found hungry children and a mother with a tiny new baby, and no food at all.

Hudson wanted to help — but if he gave them his one coin, he’d have nothing left himself! He tried to tell them about a loving Father in heaven, but the words stuck. How could he talk about God’s care while clutching his last coin? So he took a deep breath and gave the poor family his whole half-crown. At once his happiness came flooding back, and he walked home singing.

The very next morning, the postman brought a letter. Inside was a pair of gloves — and out of them dropped a coin worth four times what Hudson had given away! “Wonderful!” laughed Hudson. God had given back far more than he had let go.

You can never out-give God. When you share what you have with someone who needs it, you can trust your loving Father to take care of you.

Dear God, help me to give cheerfully, even when it’s hard, and to trust you to take care of me. Amen.