“US Cent Coin” by http://www.elbpresse.de – Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A few days ago, my daughter wanted to surprise me by buying me a bakery treat with her own money. As we were getting ready to go, she sat down, opened up her little change purse, and removed a dollar bill and some coins. My wife asked her what she was doing. My daughter’s response was, “I’m taking this money out so I don’t use it on accident. It’s for Bible class.”

What?

We were both floored. We’ve let her put money in the contribution plate since she was very little. My wife used to just let our daughter choose some coins to put in out of her wallet, and that eventually transitioned to our girl choosing coins from her own change purse. She takes it very seriously too — carefully choosing the shiniest coins or crispest bills and then meticulously arranging them in the plate. I just didn’t know how much value she placed on giving.

It’s easy for any aspect of our Christian lives to go on the back burner when we aren’t physically in the church building. My daughter’s actions really brought home Colossians 3:17 that says we should do all in the name of the Lord and Romans 12:1, where Paul calls us to be living sacrifices. Passages like these remind us that we should be putting Christ first all of the time.

Contribution can seem like such an insignificant act of worship, but it’s still important. A child putting money in the plate from her little change purse may seem like a small act, but it makes a difference. In that moment of setting some of her own money aside for “Bible class,” she taught us volumes about spiritual priorities. She was a light. She wanted to do something nice for me with her money — that was selfless by itself — but then she took that next step. She remembered God first.