Excerpt from Acts 3:1-10

"The man expected to receive something… Peter said, 'I will give you what I do have.'"

Reflection by William C. Green

The man crippled since birth in today's story began to ask for money from Peter and John. He didn't ask for what he really needed but got it anyway: the ability to stand up and walk and even jump and leap for joy. Now he could take care of himself!

We, too, can want things that, however important, are not what we truly need. We can want greater love and understanding without realizing that, deeper than that, we need a greater ability to love and accept ourselves. We can want more help from others when, deeper than that, we need the confidence that we can help ourselves. Once those kinds of need are met, what we want may be significant, but it's second best.

Peter said to the beggar, "I can't give you what you want, but I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus, get up and walk." That's what God says to us. There's nothing necessarily wrong with what we want but it's often not what really matters. That's what God gives. We can expect a lot more than we prayed for—like a life more full of hope and promise that lets us walk again, a lot taller than before, and sometimes even leap for joy.

Prayer

God, help me understand that if you don't give me what I want it isn't what I need. May I trust that in your grace my needs are met beyond anything I could have asked for. Amen.

About the Author William C. Green is Vice-President for Strategy and Development, Moral Courage Project, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the author of 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving.

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