Today I return to my warm and sunny Florida Keys after traveling for the past week, but I’m returning with something extra. Something so special and so extremely valuable. Let me tell you about the gift I was given while traveling.

Yesterday, I met a man named Steve. Steve was a successful business man for 35 years and while on a mission trip to Venezuela, God saved his life from a deadly snake and then spoke to him in a voice he could not ignore. The voice of the Lord told him he would feed the hungry and house the orphans. He had never done either.

That was 25 years ago, and he now runs an organization called SERV International which produces millions of meals for starving people, rescues abandoned children out of the bush in Africa, and has changed the trajectory of an entire village through the power of Jesus. Their work is truly inspiring.

Steve is just an ordinary man who gets overly excited when telling the stories about each of the children he loves so much in his orphanage, and choked up when telling the stories of God’s invitation to work with him and watch the impossible unfold.

In Steve’s office, there’s a shelf where a small, handmade, straw broom sits. It fit in with all the other unique pieces from Africa, but this was special. Steve then told me the story of the broom:

At a church service in this desperate and destitute African village, they created an altar for the offerings of the people. A widowed woman came forward and laid this small, handmade, straw broom on the altar. It was literally all she had.

Let that set in for a moment. She was so moved by the Word of God and the hope offered by Jesus, she gave her broom when it was the only thing she had to give.

I crumbled hearing this story. Oh how selfish and self-serving I am. I have so much and offer so little while patting myself on the back for being a good person.

I’m immediately reminded of the woman Jesus witnessed making an offering in the temple. Mark 12: 41-44, “Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

What happens when you give to God? I’m going to tell you what happens and it’s very literal. YOU OPEN THE STOREHOUSES OF HEAVEN.

Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is KIND to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” I believe that for one reason and one reason only – it’s God’s word. I don’t believe it because some fancy preacher on TV has told me I’ll be blessed if I send money. I don’t believe it because I’m playing a game to see how much I can get out of the deal. I believe it because it’s God’s word and God’s word DOES NOT FAIL.

God sees everything we do and he knows our heart. He knows when we’re being kind for show and when we’re being kind because of love. He knows the intent behind everything we do and give, and when we’re truly doing it for the Lord, he personally rewards us. All God ever wants is our heart to be fully aligned with his, and when our heart gets in the right place, our hands naturally open and you just can’t keep them closed.

I promise you this, God doesn’t need your money. He owns absolutely everything in this world. If he needed your money, he could take it away from you in an instant and use it as he wished. God doesn’t even need your works. He has an army of Angels who could do the work better than you. But he does desire your heart, and when he has your heart, then he gets everything you have and everything you can do and he uses it for eternal impact.

Proverbs 11:25 MSG, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.” I’m literally homeless and everything I own is in 2 suitcases, and my world has never been bigger. Oh, but my suitcase is a litter fuller after this trip because guess what I get to take home with me … I get to take home a broom. After telling me the story of the widow offering her broom, Steve reached into a cabinet and gave me my own broom made by a 3 year old boy in this village of Africa who sold them so he could have a meal for the day. It’s now my prized possession to remind me what it looks like to really offer everything to God.

Here’s what I know about you – I know you desperately need to give your time, your talent and your treasures. If you don’t, you will suffer. Not out of punishment, but out of the design of your human body. By God’s great design, you are wired to be generous and live with an open hand. Just like God wired your body to feel pain when you’re doing something harmful, your body is designed to feel good when you are kind. You literally feel immediate neurological effects when you give in a genuine act of kindness. There are 4 things that happen when you open your hand and offer your time, talent and treasures:

1. Dopamine is released in your brain and you are flooded with feelings of pleasure and happiness. Why? Because God designed you to feel your best when you’re offering your best.

2. Oxytocin is released from the base of your brain in your pituitary gland. This hormone promotes bonding, trust and connection with others. Why? Because you were created to be better when living in kindness.

3. Your stress hormones are naturally reduced. You literally feel less stressed because that stressed part of your brain calms down. Why? Because stress is designed by God to signal you’re doing something wrong. When you start doing it right, you feel God’s peace.

4. Endorphins are triggered for release which naturally reduce your pain and improve your mood. Why? Again, because God put warning signs inside of your body to tell you when you’re doing it right and when you’re doing it wrong.

I find that absolutely amazing! You feel the difference!

I own very few material items. That’s partly because God showed me several years ago that I couldn’t be trusted with my pretty things. The pretty things I owned began to own me. That’s when I sold it and gave the rest away in 2012. My hands were allowed to be open, and when your hands are open, God can keep pouring out an overflow into your life and it won’t get all dammed up. The moment we close our hands and try to hold on to what we have, we’re no longer open to receive.

A few weeks ago I met a homeless woman named Angela pushing a cart down the sidewalk in the pouring down rain. My husband started a conversation with her and invited her to the house where we were staying for some dry clothes and a warm meal, then we would drive her wherever she needed to go. While she sat in my kitchen and ate chicken wings, I went upstairs to find clothes for her. In that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Treat her as your friend, give her your best.”

Anyone who knows me, knows I love the brand Natural Life. It’s about all I wear. I knew to give her my brightest, happiest Natural Life sundress for her journey through the hot Florida Keys. Then, God prompted me with a harder give. He told me to give her my shoes.

Now, I own very few shoes. They take up too much space in a suitcase, so what I do own are special and versatile. This year, I had a pair of Chacos sandals custom made. They are in my favorite colors of hot pink and turquoise, and even have my word for 2025 on them. The back of the sandals say “EXTRAORDINARY”. They are my adventure shoes, my hiking shoes, my water shoes, my travel shoes, my sundress shoes. My absolute favorites. And I knew God was asking me to give them to Angela.

Hands open – let it flow. The kindness you offer is rewarded by God himself. I promise you the feeling I felt giving my best was far better than the feeling of having the best for myself. That’s by God’s design. It’s no accident.

Think of the widow in Africa laying her broom on the altar. Offering her everything to God. What is your broom? What do you have? What can you do? Will you offer it? Will you open your hand and experience the supernatural flow of God that never, ever runs out?

An open hand signals to God we can be trusted with more. An open hand signals to God we will allow his flow through us. An open hand signals to your brain to feel ridiculously good.

May your hand be open today. May you be trusted with more. May God flow through you, and girl, may you feel RIDICULOUSLY GOOD ABOUT IT!

Offer your broom.

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