We were halfway out the door for church when..
“Wait!”
Bobbi Jo tore back inside and came out holdin’ that little pink Bible of hers. The one with the worn-down zipper and leftover glitter in the seams from last year’s VBS.
“Daddy, I got my tithe.”
She unzipped the Bible and pulled out an envelope that’d clearly been through some things. Folded twice and puffed up like it was carryin’ state secrets.
Inside was a crayon drawing of Jesus, ridin’ what I think was a horse, though it might’ve been a cow.
Next to that, a small collection of three gummy bears (two red, one green), and two quarters stuck to a Post-it note that said, in big block letters..
FOR GOD.
I blinked. “What’s all this?”
She stood proud, “It’s everything I had in my purse.”
Brenda got misty-eyed, and I didn’t say much, mostly because I was tryin’ not to choke on the toothpick I’d been chewin’.
Come offering time, Bobbi Jo marched right down the center aisle, and held that envelope in both hands. She eased it into the plate like she was settin’ down something sacred.
Nobody else noticed.
But I did.
After church, Pastor Bo was standin’ by the door as usual, shakin’ hands. He leaned in, “I saw what she gave.”
I nodded. “Yeah… she gets her generosity from her mama.”
He smiled.
“And her investment strategy?”
“From me.”
He chuckled, then paused.
“That might be the most honest gift we’ve taken up all year.”
On the way home, Bobbi Jo asked if God liked gummy bears.
Brenda said, “Sweetheart, He made the man who invented ‘em.”
I don’t know exactly what heaven’s treasury holds, but if there’s a place for heartfelt, sticky, five-year-old faith.. I reckon Bobbi Jo just added to it.
Deciphering Emmett
God doesn’t measure gifts the way we do. He’s not looking at the size of what’s in your hand, but rather the surrender in your heart. In Mark 12:41–44, Jesus watched people give at the temple, and it was the poor widow who caught His attention.
True giving isn’t about checking a box or proving devotion. It’s about whether your heart says, “Lord, I’m Yours—and so is everything I have.” Second Corinthians 9:7 reminds us that “God loves a cheerful giver.”
Bobbi Jo’s handful of gummy bears didn’t have any economic weight, but it had something much larger.. eternal meaning. She gave with open hands and love. That’s the kind of offering God treasures, because it reflects childlike trust in Him.
Psalm 50:10 says He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He’s not short on resources, and He’s not waiting on your contribution to finish His plan. He invites you to give, because giving is sanctifying. It molds you more and more into His image.
It doesn’t have to be big, and it doesn’t have to make sense to others. Whether it’s money, time, or your talent, what matters is the heart behind it.