We often get caught up in the value of things in terms of dollars and cents. More is not always better. In every gift, there ought to be much more than merely the monetary value. We sometimes spend a lot of time trying to find out what a person would like or treasure. What is right and appropriate? But when we focus more on the cost than on the overall value, we lose a huge part of the picture.

Jesus noted that a poor widow who contributed but two very small copper coins had given something of more value than the gifts of the rich (Luke 21:2-3). Charles Dudley Warner noted that: "The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value." Giving the right gift requires knowledge about the person and caring thought. The effort to give that gift is where the value lies.