When I was younger I went to a church on the Eastside and sat in the pew as the pastor told this story about a little girl and her piggy bank. That message had a big impact on me, and I think about it all the time.
One day the little girl was outside playing with her friends when she heard the bells of the Ice Cream Truck! She ran inside and grabbed her piggy bank off the shelf and brought it over to the bed. She turned the bank upside down and began to shake it. A nickle fell out. She shook it again, and another nickle fell, and then a dime. The little girl was getting frustrated, knowing that she had put much more into this piggy bank than it was giving her back, now that she needed it. She held onto the sides and shook it harder, until the bed was covered in nickles, dimes and quarters. The little girl smiled at how much had been hidden inside that little bank.
After telling us that story, the pastor held up a piggy bank, and said that we are just like that little bank. As he walked to the front of the stage, he smiled and reminded all of us that God had put so many gifts and talents inside of each of us, and often, when he calls on us to use them, we turn away. The pastor held onto the bank and began to shake it so we could hear the change rattling inside as he continued. He said that God tries to remind us....with the bells and signs, and that often when we see that child in need, we buy them a new coat.....or when we see a family struggling, we put an extra $20 dollars in the offering plate, and then walk away. God becomes frustrated because he knows that he has put much more into us than we are giving him back. So, he begins to give us a little shake. Something in OUR world begins to come undone. That's when people start to pray...to pay attention. But as soon as God stops shaking, we get back up and continue on our way, just like we were before. So, God shakes harder this time, and harder until he gets our attention. He wants what he has put into us. He wants us to do more than hand out the money, or buy the kid a Happy Meal. He knows we have so much more to offer, and he will keep shaking until we give back what we have been given.
It is at this point in the sermon when the pastor stepped off the stage and began to walk in the isles, holding the piggy bank up high so we can all see it. He smiled and he looked at each one of us as he began to shake the bank again, saying that even though our world may be shaking, and we may feel that we cannot take much more, he said, "remember, God can't shake you, unless he has his hands around you. He's holding onto you, and he isn't going to let you break. He's waiting....he's waiting for you to do what you were put here to do. He wants you to give back what you have been given."
Powerful! I can still remember sitting in that church on Washington Ave with Judy, and being so overwhelmed by that message. I was young...maybe 12 or 13, but it really connected with me, and to this day, I think about that message.
