Did you have a piggy bank when you were a kid? I did, except mine was in the shape of a black bear. My parents bought it for me in Gatlinburg when I was very small. Since it was ceramic, there was a noise that was both fun and irritating.
Let’s start with the fun aspect. I absolutely loved hearing the clinking sound of the coins as I dropped them into my bear bank. It was music to my ears. Are wondering how I got the coins? For one, my family would give me their spare change. For another, I received coins as part of my birthday and Christmas gifts. And there was also money from the tooth fairy. After I grew a little older, my parents gave me an allowance in quarters. I think they got a kick of watching me plop each coin into my bear bank with a loud Clink. At times I would even shake it for fun. Clink. Clink. Clink
Now the clink was not a welcoming sound when I was trying to sneak coins out of the bank. You see my mom wanted me to save my money. But there were times I wanted to buy something without having to ask my family for it. Usually, it was something being sold in the little store at school or a prize I saw in a gumball/ vending machine. First, I would quietly shut my bedroom door. Then I plied the rubber stopper in the bottom out and held the bear bank over my bed. A few of the coins fell out, but not as much as I needed. Then I gently shook my ceramic bank to get out the ones that were stuck in the little nooks and crannies in the arms and feet of it. This did dislodge a few more, but I still didn’t have enough coins. Of course, I would have to sake the bank with more force, which caused a louder clinking sound. Within seconds, my mom would be standing in the doorway to my room. “What do you think you’re doing?”
When I was in the fifth grade, I went from saving coins to collecting them as a hobby. A good comparison would be collecting postage stamps. This began when my dad started working at a gas station on the weekends. It was located right off an exit from the interstate. To my dad, it wasn’t just extra money, but a new adventure as well. Often, he came home on Sunday evenings with strange things he bought from customers. One was a radio in the shape of a toilet. I had so much fun showing that puppy off to my friends at school. But I was thrilled when he brought me unusual coins that he thought they were unique. Some were very old. There were some that we weren’t sure what they actually were. Then there were some from foreign countries: Japan, Israel, Jamaca, UK, Mexico, and Canada.These especially fascinated me because we mainly went to local places like the Smokey Mountains. When I held and examined those coins, it was like experiencing those other places.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)
I’ve seen this verses misquoted several times as: “Money is the root of all evil.” Money itself doesn’t do anything. It’s our faith in what it can buy that makes it valuable to us. If you have more money, then you have more spending power. Actually, you may have more power in general. Problems arise when we love money and its power more than we do The Lord. By the way, it’s all His anyway. (Psalm 24:1 & Deuteronomy 8: 17-18)
While writing this article, I took out my coin collection and used Google Lens to examine them. I couldn’t help but wonder if any of the coins were worth some money. They were a few dollars, but not enough to sell any of them. Before I put my coin bank back up, I gave it a hood shake. Clink, Clink. Clink. It was music to my ears.
Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.