The shiny penny
A three–year–old puts his shiny penny in the hands of Jesus.
Holly J. Beckman
It was time to leave for church. My three-year-old grandson had a weekly ritual. He would gather all his little treasures and stuff them in his pockets. Those treasures made his pockets bulge. He wouldn’t leave home without them.
One special treasure was his penny. It was different than all the other loose change he had. It was new and shiny. He took special care of it, and that Sunday he decided to bring it to church with him. But he did not stuff it into his pockets. Instead, he walked out the door with his pockets full, holding his prized shiny penny in a clear plastic cup.
We all smiled as he got in his car seat. He moved slowly so he wouldn’t drop the cup. Normally he loved to comment about everything he saw as he rode in the car. But that day he looked out the window in silence. He wasn’t very talkative. He kept glancing down, admiring his shiny penny and making sure it didn’t drop on the floor.
I asked him if he was going to give his shiny penny as an offering. His reply? “No, it’s my penny!” He seemed very determined to keep that penny for himself. He didn’t want to give it up.
But later when the offering basket came past, with no prodding and a big smile on his face, he threw in his shiny penny.
Before church, a lady had seen him with his penny and asked him about it. After church, she noticed it was gone. She asked him where the penny was. Did he lose it?
His reply? “I put it in the hands of Jesus.”
What an amazing lesson from a three-year-old! I couldn’t help but hug him and tell him that I thought it was wonderful that he gave his prized, shiny penny to Jesus. Again, God teaches an adult from the words of a little child.
What’s your shiny penny? I have my own list. We all have shiny pennies we want to hold on to because they belong to us. Are you ready to put them in the hands of Jesus? “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7)!
Holly Beckman is a member at St. Marcus, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Author: Holly J. Beckman
Volume 106, Number 6
Issue: June 2019
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