habits

Small Change: Four Ways to Ease Transition

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Zech 4:10

What do you do with the small change you accumulate? When my kids were small, I used to throw mine in a coffee can and every few months roll it and have enough to pay for a babysitter and a night out.

But there’s been a big change in small change. My current jar is high-tech, actually keeping track of the amount I’ve fed it. In the last year and a half I’ve managed to accrue the whopping sum of $14.83. Coins just don’t get used much any more. In high school we used to keep dimes in our penny loafers for emergencies— a phone call home or THAT machine in the girls room. Just twenty cents could cover 90% of your teenage crises. I still keep some quarters in my wallet out of habit, thinking I might need to make a call. But where would I even find a pay phone?

It may not be long before coins are obsolete and the expressions I’m exploring here will sound like Shakespeare to a new generation. But before that happens, let’s look at how some of our cliches about coins can help us remember that strategic small changes add up to long-term victory in the face of constant change.