The story of the widow who cast in her two mites into the temple treasury is a memorable and often told story.

However, there seems to be one element of this story that is often missed that is extremely instructive.

In Mark 12:44 it reads, “For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

Correctly, the story often focuses on one’s material circumstances, whether one had plenty or one had nothing.

But there is a nuance that also needs to be explored. It has to do with the word “want.”

The word “want” can mean two totally unique things (both of which need to be explored):

(1) when one is found in “want,” one is destitute or has little in the way of material possessions
(2) when one “wants” something, they prioritize this thing above all else

Consider this. It has been said that Love equals Want!

OK, so what does that mean?

Love equals want because that which we want so badly that we are willing to sacrifice everything else to obtain it betrays that which we truly love or prioritize.

Think about it this way.

Christ wanted us so badly that He was willing to sacrifice His life so that He might obtain us.

Christ loved us above all else, and that is why He gave His life for us.

With this understanding, it is possible that the Savior pointed out the widow to his disciples not simply because she was destitute and making a large donation from her own point of view, but because of something deeper.

Perhaps Christ was pointing out that in her heart, she wanted to Kingdom of God above all else.

It was this want, or this love for the Kingdom of God above all other considerations, that make this woman worthy of being etched in the pages of the scriptures.

Furthermore, it is possible that the Savior was pointing out that when one gives out of their “want,” meaning their “love” for the Kingdom of God above all other earthly considerations, that just maybe, it really isn’t a sacrifice after all.

When one gives out of love, or with real intent, because one truly wants what God wants, one is showing a true act of grace.

True want, or love, is the secret ingredient that activates divine compassion. Although Mark does not record a hundredth part of this interaction and this widow’s life, there is no doubt that she became the recipient of Heaven’s grace, whether of a material nature or something even much more valuable and desirable in her soul and heart.