Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 Kings 4:1
A couple years ago, my wife and I set out to build a house. Technically, it was an addition to an existing structure, but for us, it was like building a new house. We knew what we wanted, but the ever-present limiter, and the question we continually had to ask ourselves was – How much will this cost? What we desired and what we could afford were not the same and so, while we were planning, some details had to be eliminated. Indoor Olympic pool? Nope. Bathroom? Yes.
I find that I ask the same question in my Christian life. How much will this cost me? I want to help those in need. I really do. Helping others always costs me something though, whether it’s time, effort, or money. And so, I find myself reluctant to get involved for fear of what it will cost. Go to jail on Sunday mornings? Yes. Give money to that one guy? Absolutely not.
So, I found myself annoyed in reading today’s passage, in which Elisha helped a poor widow at no apparent cost to himself. In the story, this widow found herself in debt to a creditor who was going to take her two children as payment. With only a single jar of oil to her name, Elisha orchestrated a miracle, multiplying the oil, which the widow was able to sell for enough money to pay off her entire debt. What bugs me about the story, is that Elisha saved her with a few words. It cost him nothing. God did all the work. Sure, I’d like to save the poor around me, but I simply don’t have that kind of miraculous power.
I shared my annoyance my wife yesterday. She wisely pointed out that Elisha’s miracle actually came at a tremendous cost. To be a prophet, Elisha sacrificed his entire life. Remaining unmarried and likely never owning much of anything, performing that miracle for the widow cost Elisha everything.
And this reveals my problem. When confronted with the choice of helping others, my first question is – How much will this cost me? Sure, I’d like to help everyone, but I’ve got limited resources and I like my stuff. I may think I want to be able to perform Elisha’s good works, but I don’t want to give my entire life to do so. I’m a Christian-on-a-budget, making sure that I keep enough for me and mine, revealing that I’ve still got a lot of work to do in becoming who God wants me to be.