the Jesus jar

a fistful of coins...

just a small amount in the big people world that i'm forced to live in for part of my time.

but an absolute fortune in the little people world where i choose to spend the rest of my life.

ever since Peach received her first piggy bank from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas, she's been scouring floors, couch cusions and momma's coat pockets for pennies to drop through that narrow little slot.

the satisfying clink of their arrival at the bottom never fails to spread a grin from ear to ear.

just recently, she and J were reading this story over breakfast.

and the wheels started spinning in my head.

that very afternoon, we had us a project.

a Jesus jar.

and a promise to give Jesus our first and our best.

this time, when I pulled out three dollar bills, she chose the crispest, greenest one to put in the Jesus jar.

the other two went in her and Tulip's piggy banks.

and the little pile of coins was spread out on the table as she searched for the very best coins to put in Jesus' hands.

i know she can't fully grasp it yet, but J and i have been intentionally peppering our conversations with how thankful we are that Jesus has given us the plates we eat from, the shoes on our feet, the warm water in the bath tub and the soap at our sinks.

when we've got a few extra coins laying around, we give her an opportunity to give back the goodness He's first given us.

someday soon, we're gonna' help her get the contents to church or another place where she can give it away, trusting that God will do something really big with her little coins.

God doesn't need the $2.73 that is sitting in this jar on her dresser.

He already owns every star in the universe.

it's not about the money.

it is about one little heart learning to trust a big, awesome God with her first and her best.

a life like that is worth more than any bank can contain.