Loose Change

​My dad has had a change jar on the top of his dresser since I can remember. Nowadays when the jar gets full he dumps it in a Ziplock bag and takes turns giving it to each grandchild. Recently my oldest daughter, Kori, received the change bag. When my dad handed it to her, her eyes gleamed. You could see the wheels turning in her head. Oh the stuffed animal collections she could buy. How many things at the dollar tree could she get? The possibilities were endless in her imaginative little mind. 
 
That Thursday morning she woke up insisting to bring the change to school. Not just the pennies, not just half…the entire bag. Her good news club at school was collecting change for missionaries. They would bring Bibles to people who had never had one before and it would be in their own language. 

​“I may not be able to buy any toys, but at least I get to help tell people about God.” As she spoke those words, my heart melted. To many it may seem like just a bag of change, but to her it was everything she had. She gave it all to share God’s word. That day God used my daughter to remind me of the cost of following Jesus. 
 
In Matthew 8, a man is telling Jesus he will follow Him wherever He goes. Well, surely Jesus gave him some comforting words and invited him along for their new journey, right? Not so much. Jesus was not interested in selling people on following Him; He was more of a straight shooter. Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20).
 
Jesus, Messiah, God’s one and only Son, homeless. Think of all the places he traveled with dirt lingering on his hands and feet. Imagine the holes in His clothes, stained with sweat and tears. Jesus didn’t just tell this man He had to give up his life to follow Him; He taught by example. Jesus gave up everything to do what God called Him to do. People wanted to learn from and be like Jesus, yet they weren’t willing to make sacrifices. They wanted Jesus in their life but they didn’t want to give their whole life to Jesus. Isn’t that like us sometimes? 
 
If we are honest with ourselves, we may find there is a lot of ‘loose change’ in our lives we hang onto. We want to spend our time, talents, money, mind, or bodies on things that serve us instead of God. But He wants us to serve Him with everything in our being down to the last brain cell, word, or penny. He is the one and only Holy God and He is selfish. Not in the way we are selfish. He is selfish because He knows when we give ourselves to anything but Him, we short change ourselves because He is better than anything this world has to offer. Our God deserves all we have including our ‘loose change.’
 
Sister, we are called to dedicate our life to Him. Even if it's all we feel we have left, we give it all to Him for He is worthy.
 
Do you have some ‘loose change’ you're holding onto? Where is your mind, body, and soul? Is it aligned with God's glory or your own? Pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you what you are keeping from him and what you need to let go of. Ask Him to help and guide you to give your whole self to Him today, even your ‘loose change.’ 

Memory Verse: "Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it." Luke 17:33

About the Author

Hi, I'm Taylor Watkins! I live in the North Georgia mountains with my husband and best friend, Ethan. Our humble abode is decorated with pink and purple crayon drawings and cut-out paper hearts, created by our two sweet daughters. Black cups of coffee, inspiring books, writing, fuzzy blankets, and deep belly laughs are some of my favorite things. I am all about some comfort, which is one of the many reasons I love me some Jesus. Walking with Jesus and talking about the Word with a group of women has been life-changing. Come join us and come as you are. (Slippers are welcome.) ​