In your earlier experience the Lord imparted to you talents of influence, but did not give you talents of means, and therefore did not expect you in your poverty to bestow that which you had not to give. Like the widow, you did give what you could, although, had you considered your own circumstances, you would have felt excused from doing even as much as you did. In your sickness, God did not require from you that active energy of which disease had deprived you. Though you were restricted in your influence and in your means, yet God accepted your efforts to do good and to advance His cause according to what you had, not according to what you had not. The Lord does not despise the humblest offering bestowed with readiness and sincerity. {2T 282.1}

[I din tidligere erfaring meddelte Herren dig talenter i form af indflydelse, men gav dig ikke pengemidlernes talenter og ventede derfor ikke, at du i din fattigdom skulle give, hvad du ikke havde at give. Ligesom enken gav du, hvad du kunne, skønt du, hvis du havde taget dine egne forhold i betragtning, ville have følt dig undskyldt, selv om du ikke engang havde gjort så meget, som du gjorde. I din sygdom krævede Gud ikke den aktive energi, som sygdommen havde berøvet dig. Skønt du var hæmmet, hvad din indbydelse og dine midler angik, godkendte Gud dine bestræbelser for at gøre det gode og for at fremme hans sag i overensstemmelse med, hvad du havde, ikke i overensstemmelse med, hvad du ikke havde. Herren forsmår ikke det mest beskedne offer, der ydes i oprigtighed.