I recently had the honor of attending “Mike’s” graduation as he completed the six-month alcohol/drug recovery program at The Salvation Army in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Mike’s graduation was to celebrate and acknowledge his recovery of substance abuse and his new direction in life, putting Jesus Christ at the forefront of every decision. 

Much to my surprise, a major donor to The Salvation Army was planning to visit Mike’s graduation and worship service.  

Had I known a major donor was in the audience, I would have been more nervous than normal as I made a brief speech acknowledging Mike’s accomplishment. During my remarks, I presented Mike with a “faith coin,” recognizing his achievement in the recovery program and his 100% attendance in a class I teach at The Salvation Army.

Following the thirty minutes or so spent honoring Mike’s accomplishment, Sergeant-Major Cotton Presley delivered an outstanding message from the Bible.

Little did I know, the individual sitting in front of me was planning to make a major donation to the outstanding work being done in Fayetteville by The Salvation Army.  

As Cotton Presley made his closing remarks, the young lady sitting in front of me stood up, turned around, looked directly in my eyes, smiled, handed me a “contribution envelope” and walked out of the chapel.

I have learned during my involvement with The Salvation Army that the unexpected happens regularly, and tonight was one of those “unexpected events.”  

When the closing prayer ended, I looked for Captain Josh Robinett. As Captain Josh Robinett opened the envelope, we both saw what amounted to an extremely large contribution to The Salvation Army.

The contribution was $1.00. The mystery donor is homeless. 

She gave all she had.

The longer I live, the more I experience life, the more I move toward understanding. It’s not about how much we have or don’t have; what matters is our attitude toward either scenario.

I’m reminded of the parable Jesus taught related to the widow giving all she had.

“But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’”

Mark 12:42-44 (NIV)

Dennis Hixson is a longtime resident of Northwest Arkansas. He and his wife, Missy, are members of Prairie Grove Christian Church in Prairie Grove, AR, where Dennis teaches an adult Bible class. Dennis serves as Chairman on The Salvation Army Advisory Board in Fayetteville and teaches a Bible class for men in alcohol and drug dependence recovery.