Andrea turned up her nose when she saw the item in her friend’s hand. “Why would you want that piece of junk? Look, it has a crack in it. I can’t believe they actually want money for it,” she scoffed.
Jessica began to return the little clay jar back to the shelf where she found it, but hesitated. There was something about it that she liked. “The crack is barely visible, and it’s in the back. No one will even notice it. Besides, they only want fifty cents for it.”
Andrea shrugged, “I wouldn’t take it if they gave it to me, but it’s your money.”
The pair of friends had spent most of the morning at the community yard sale, rummaging through loads of secondhand items, searching for hidden treasures.
Growing up as next-door neighbors, Jessica and Andrea had been friends as far back as they could remember. Their families even attended the same church. When it came to shopping, they had their not have been more different. After only an hour of yard sales, Andrea’s backpack overflowed with her purchases, including a clock, a mirror, a jewelry box, and plenty of ring and bracelets to fill it up. However, Jessica had yet to purchase a single item. There was no shortage of reasonably-priced items that caught her attention, but she passed them all by. “I don’t really need this,” she would tell herself, and continue on to the next house.
For some reason Jessica found the jar with the hand-painted grapevine pattern, something that she wanted to bring home.
As Jessica handed the seller her fifty cents, the gray-haired woman explained the story behind the ceramic jar. “This used to belong to my Aunt Mary. She was a special woman. She spent over forty years overseas, working with poor children.”
“Wow! Forty years? That’s a long time to be away from friends and family,” Jessica was truly impressed.
“Aunt Mary was very devoted to her work,” the woman said with a smile. “Let me wrap that for you so it doesn’t get damaged.”
Taking the overly wrapped bundle, Jessica turned to find Andrea looking at a pair of high-quality skis. “Do you want to keep going? I’ve had enough for today.”
“Me too. I’m getting bored digging through other people’s junk,” said Andrea.
Three weeks later, Andrea showed up at Jessica’s house bursting with excitement. “Look! It’s one of the latest tablets.” Andrea poked and swiped the glowing screen with lightning speed. “It has all of the latest features,” she added as she tapped one icon after another.
“I thought your old one was fine,” Jessica said with a bit of envy.
“It was okay, but this one is ten times better.”
Jessica was not overly happy for her friend. Actually, she thought it was a waste of money. Her own electronic tablet was an old hand-me-down from her parents. It was a bit slow, and a showed its age, but it still worked fine. Jessica pretended to be interested as her friend showed off her latest toy.
After about fifteen minutes of non-stop demonstration, Andrea realized that she was being a little rude. She set the tablet down on Jessica’s bed. “So, what’s new with you?”
“Not much,” Jessica replied, glad that her friend asked about her.
They went on to discuss the latest events at school and the church youth group. When there was break in the conversation, Andrea pointed to the little clay jar from the yard sale, displayed on Jessica’s shelf.
“I see that you still have that jar. Have you found a use for it?” Andrea asked.
“I call it my mission’s jar,” Jessica explained. “Every week I put some of my allowance money in it for the Thompsons. Do you remember that couple that came to our church this summer? They do great work overseas to help those in need, and their ministry spreads the Gospel to thousands of people.”
“Oh yes, I remember the Thompsons,” Andrea nodded, but said nothing more.
Jessica never asked, but she was pretty certain that Andrea gave little, or nothing at all to the church, or the ministries it supported. It was difficult not to judge her friend, but she did her best. “What Andrea gives is between her and the Lord,” Jessica told herself.
She was no saint herself. Jessica often paused before dropping her hard-earned cash into the jar. She dreamed about spending the money on the latest electronics, clothes, shoes, or the millions of items for sale at the mall or online. Sometimes she held a few dollars back for herself, but she made a habit of giving regularly.
Every other week Jessica would empty the jar into an envelope, write “Thompsons” on the front, and drop it into the offering plate. Whenever she remembered, she would pray for the missionary couple and the people that they served. The rest was up to God.
One the other side of the world, Imari ran into his little house, calling out with excitement, “Mother! Mother!”
“What is it child?” Imari’s mother had been preparing a meal in small house. The intense sun beating on the tin roof sent the temperature soaring in the little space, which was about half the size of the average garage in the U.S. In fact, a girl like Jessica would have found the conditions unbearable.
“I had much fun at the missionary church today,” said Imari. His younger brother nodded with bright eyes, in agreement.
“What did you do?” his mother asked.
“First, we played games, and then they read from The Bible. After that, we did crafts. See the bird I made? All the children got a piece of candy too.”
“Do you want to go back again?” asked his mother.
“Yes, the Thompsons are very friendly people. I can’t wait to go back again.”
Other Stories You Might Enjoy
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What was the jar in the story used for?
Read 2 Cor 4:6,7
In this passage, what is meant by “jars of clay?”
Which girl in the story was a “jar of clay?”
What made her different from her friend?
Are you a “jar of clay?”
Besides giving money, what are some ways you can let God’s light shine in you?