All day these thoughts have been running through my mind.
I finally got a chance to sit down and write them out.
And it feels good.
I’m grateful I get to share this.
So again, welcome to Grace Across Borders.
And I pray you enjoy this week’s story.
Tonight, this message is sitting with me a little differently.
Because I’m here volunteering at my daughter’s school.
In a quiet moment,
this story came back to me full circle.
And in that moment,
I found myself giving God thanks
and starting to type out the story
that He has placed on my heart all along.
📖 Bible Story: She Gave Her Last Anyway
There was a widow in the middle of a famine.
She had almost nothing left.
Just a handful of flour.
And a little oil.
Enough for one last meal for her and her son.
And she said it plainly,
“We are going to eat this… and then die.”
That was her reality.
Then the prophet Elijah asked her for food.
Not after.
Not later.
First.
That didn’t make sense.
But she did it anyway.
She gave from her last.
Not knowing what would come back.
Not expecting anything.
And God made sure
her flour never ran out
and her oil never ran dry.
🌍 Folklore: One One Cocoa Full Basket.
In Jamaica, there’s a saying:
“One one cocoa full basket.”
It means that little by little,
what you have… what you give… it adds up.
Even when it feels small.
Even when it feels like nothing.
In many Jamaican homes,
people don’t always have much.
But they still share.
A little food.
A little help.
A little time.
And somehow…
it becomes enough.
Because what is given in love
never goes to waste.
💭 Personal Reflection
When I was pregnant with my first child, DJ, almost 21 years ago,
I remember the love.
My first baby shower was in Jamaica.
And when I came to the U.S., months pregnant,
people I didn’t even know were bringing things to my dad’s house.
People who never met me.
People who didn’t have to.
I was speechless.
And it didn’t stop there.
I never had to buy diapers.
Not one.
Before my son was potty trained,
I had so many diapers and wipes given to me
that I didn’t have to buy any at all.
And by the time he was three years old,
that was when I started buying clothes for him…
because before that,
he already had outfits for every stage of his life, mostly compliments of my brother, who was working at a baby’s clothes store.
Everything was given.
I was humbled.
Truly, truly humbled.
And when I had my daughter…
it was the same.
A baby shower was put together out of nowhere.
Just because her aunt decided to do it.
No asking.
No pressure.
Just love.
And today, sitting here…
God brought all of that back to my memory.
Because I’ve also been on the other side.
The one giving.
The one showing up.
The one going out of my way.
And sometimes…
it doesn’t come back the same way.
Sometimes it’s taken for granted.
Sometimes it hurts.
And I could be angry.
I could be upset.
But is it really worth it?
Because when I look back…
I remember what it felt like
when God made sure I had more than enough.
Just like that widow.
She gave her last…
and God made sure she lacked nothing.
And that’s what He did for me.
So how can I stop being that person for someone else?
The truth is…
the thank you doesn’t always come
from the people you do it for.
But it comes.
In other people.
In other moments.
In ways you didn’t expect.
And more than anything…
God sees it.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for reminding me
of the times you provided through people.
When I didn’t have to ask.
When I didn’t have to worry.
Help me not to grow bitter.
Help me to keep giving.
Keep my heart pure.
And remind me that everything I do in love
is seen by You.
Amen.
This is Grace Across Borders.
Where mercy rewrites our story, please like and share.
My apologies, it was too late to post last night. If you subscribed, it was in your email, I thank you.
Grace Across Borders: Biblical Lessons and Global Legends 
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