What is done in secret, God sees

Earlier this year, a fellow Believer shared her painful story with me about a series of heartbreaking events. She has Mitochondrial Disease, and her family has a difficult time understanding her illness. In addition to all this, she has been waiting and waiting for her disability application to be processed. In the meantime, she is living on very little. She is in constant debt and continues to use credit cards to sustain her from month to month.

I was deeply moved by this woman's story. She was not asking for financial assistance. She just wanted prayer and emotional support. As I was praying for this dear warrior, God moved my heart. "You could pray for a blessing in your friend's life, or you could be a blessing." Without thinking about my next action, I asked for the woman's address. I wrote the girl a card encouraging her to keep on keeping on and enclosed a check to help lessen her burden.

I am a person of limited financial means. I save every penny and am scrupulous about any money I do spend. I always want to have something to give in the offering plate and greatly desire to help my local food bank. However, my monthly income is tiny. Hence, the amount I am able to donate is very, very small. I often wish God would bless me with great finances, not so I could buy a vehicle or live in a luxurious house, but so I could have lots and lots of money to give away.

God put into my heart the amount of money I needed to give this woman. I wrote out a check and knew if this was from God, He would provide a way. I did not tell anyone about my deed. When I donate money, I always try to do it in secret. I do not want to receive accolades or have my intentions be turned into one for evil. I only want God to see my actions.

A month later, I received an odd card in the mail. It had listed as both the sender and receiver my address. I looked at the postmark and saw the letter was sent from a local location. I opened the tightly sealed piece of mail. Inside, there was a card which was taped completely shut. It took some effort to cut through the sticky adhesive with a scissors, but finally I was able to open the note. Inside, there was a short message: "A gift of encouragement from the Lord." The message was not signed. Taped to the card was cash in the EXACT amount I had sent to my Mitochondrial Disease warrior! I was blown away! I was also doing a happy dance!

I have a secret rule about any money I receive as a gift. I give it away to charity. Although the money could be used to help pay for my supplements, food or medical expenses, I find the greatest delight in being able to continue the money's giving power by forwarding it on to another person or organization. Since I never have much to give, it is such a joy and blessing when other's provide the means for me to be able to offer charity.

During the entire card opening ceremony, my mom was incredibly curious about the card. (She was the person who had retrieved the mail from our mailbox and was subsequently enthralled by the mysteriousness of the letter.) When she saw the note and the money inside, she immediately said, "So, where are you going to donate that to?" A smile swept across my face and I nearly started crying as my heart was overflowing with joy. As hard as I try to do everything in secret, I was overwhelmed with happiness that my mom had noticed my actions.

Although many months have passed since receiving the card, the note still sits on a shelf in my closet. I look at it often and smile that someone took the time to send me such a beautiful gift of encouragement. I have the money sitting in an envelope. I am planning to give it away, but so far, nothing has captured my heart. The money was given out of an abundance of love. When the right time and situation arises, I will joyfully give the money away, and continually thank God for His endless mercies.