DAVID S. BELL
President & Exec. Director
United Methodist Foundation of Michigan
What happens to spare change? Many people have developed interesting ways of collecting or using their spare change. Some families collect it in a jar for a designated family activity, like vacations. Parents often give these coins to their children for safe keeping in a piggy bank. Still others keep it in the change holder of their car for road tolls or quick stops at a drive-thru.
The value and use of spare change is relative depending on one’s income level. For instance, one might consider generous giving to the mission and ministry of the church. A few dollars of spare change may represent a generous offering for some people. However, these coins also represent the leftover money – truly spare change – placed in an offering plate by others with greater monetary means.
By definition, spare change is money not required to cover the expense of daily existence. Some people won’t even carry spare change. They want to avoid the jingle of the coins, the perceived hassle of finding the coins, or even the actual weight of the coins in their pocket or wallet. Spare change to one person may be the equivalent to a daily wage for another person. Money is relative to one’s point of view or socio-economic position in our global community.
Luke 15:8-10 records the Parable of the Lost Coin. Jesus’ message to his disciples is not focused on spare change, but rather on a perspective of abundance and generosity. Jesus compares finding a lost coin to finding treasure in heaven. He provides lessons in economics, wealth management, and repentance.
The woman in the parable lost the equivalent of one day’s worth of wages – well beyond the spare change in her life. Today, a daily minimum wage employee would earn approximately $60.00. This daily wage might seem like spare change to a millionaire. Frankly, many people who are far from being millionaires live a lifestyle where spending $60.00 here or there is treated like spare change. Yet for others, this daily wage may be the difference between providing food and shelter or being hungry and homeless. The value of the lost coin decreases relative to the wealth of the individual.
As one’s disposable income decreases, one’s desire and need to make prudent spending choices increases. However, many North Americans have fallen into the cultural pull of satisfying our perceived “needs.” In this self-indulgent society, we treat ourselves first. We are swept up in the enticing ideology of living for today. The more one becomes entangled in self-indulgence, the less one can maintain the biblical principles of saving and giving. Money ends up controlling people’s daily lives. Jesus reminds us that generous giving frees us from this bondage and opens the possibility for other pervading, God-honoring principles to direct our daily lives. When spare change is dropped in the offering plate, spiritual poverty supersedes economic poverty.
Jesus offers hope for the spiritually impoverished. This hope is the gift of salvation offered to those who repent of their sins. God offers everyone, regardless of economic standing, the gifts of freedom, hope, and deliverance. Like the woman in this parable, we are called to treasure the gift of God’s grace so freely given to all. Generous giving is one example of living a lifestyle grounded in God-honoring principles. What do our habits with spare change suggest about our values, priorities, and commitment to God?
Last Updated on February 2, 2024