Tag: tiny jesus

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The Little Cross That Found Us

A Tangible Reminder of God’s Love

Remember the Tiny Jesus we were giving away? Here is Tiny Jesus with the Found Cross.

You know those moments when God just shows up? Not in a flashy, part-the-seas kind of way, but in the quiet, unexpected, deeply personal ways that remind you He’s got you?

We had one of those moments recently when my husband was in the emergency room. (He’s fine now, thank God—but that’s a story for another day.) While we were in the hospital, a kind nurse came in to check on us, and I happened to notice she was wearing a Tau cross. Now, if you know, you know.

“Hey,” I said, pointing at the little wooden cross, “are you a Franciscan?”

Her face lit up. “You know what this means?”

A Simple Question, A Big Connection

And just like that, a little spark of faith turned into something much bigger. She immediately went off to find the hospital chaplain so my husband could receive Holy Communion. Enter Fr. Jim—equal parts pastoral and hilarious. He came in, joked with us, prayed with us, and then handed my husband something truly special: a hand-carved wooden cross.

It turns out, a veteran makes these crosses from “found” wood—because, as the Vet explains, we all need to be found. Each cross has a tiny red dot on it, a reminder of the blood Christ shed for us. Simple. Beautiful. Powerful.

A Gift that Keeps Giving

I thought that was the end of it—just a sweet, grace-filled moment. But since that hospital stay, every follow-up appointment in the VA system has revealed something remarkable. Again and again, we’ve encountered that little cross. Nurses have them. Techs have them. And every time we see one, it’s like a joyful little nudge from God saying, I’m still here. I’ve got you.

Isn’t that just like Him? Showing up in the small, ordinary, and completely unexpected ways to remind us we are never alone?

God is good. And sometimes, He leaves little reminders in our path—just when we need them most.

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Creative Ways to Evangelize: The Tiny Jesus Mission

A tiny rubber figurine of Jesus changed the way I evangelize.

In my work as a writer, I am content to sit behind the scenes. I am emboldened to speak my mind or share my deepest longings on the page in a way I would never do face-to-face with a stranger. I share my love of Jesus and the Blessed Mother joyfully in an article or a book, but I am shy when it comes to talking with others about my faith.

Enter Jesus, or rather, a kitschy little version of Him.

Who doesn’t love a pocket-sized Jesus?

This past summer, while helping my daughter do some back-to-school shopping for her children and her classroom, I bought a dozen tiny Jesus figurines to add to her treasure box in the classroom. It was an impulse buy, but I was charmed by the figurines and thought some of the lower grade kids would like them, too. They did! And within a week she was out of this little treasure.

It was about that time that I started seeing these same little Jesus figurines pop up on social media. Apparently, someone took inspiration from the ducks-on-a-Jeep trend (Jeep owners place rubber duckies on each other’s cars as a nod to their Jeep loyalty), and started placing Tiny Jesus in public spaces.

Becoming intrepid missionaries

My husband immediately ordered three bags of the figurines. The large bag went to our daughter for the classroom, and he and I each got our own smaller bag. Thus began a fun and, I think, impactful way to evangelize.

I started this mission with some trepidation. What if I got caught while placing Jesus in a random spot? What if the business owner thought I was up to something? What if I made people angry or offended them?

What if I spread a little joy?

That’s exactly what happened. I don’t know what the reaction has been to Tiny Jesus placed in bookshelves, public bathrooms, and self-checkouts, but the inevitable happened. I got caught!

When I finished putting stamps on some letters at the counter in the post office, I took out a Tiny Jesus and placed it a little off to the side but visible to the clerk.  I was surprised by a gleeful laugh from behind. The clerk had walked around behind me to replace some forms and caught me leaving the figurine for her.

The conversation that followed was animated and cheerful. “Oh, it’s a tiny little Jesus!” Her delighted exclamation made me laugh with her. And then she wanted to know all about what I was doing sneaking Jesus around like that. She even looked up the figurines and ordered a bag right then and there, excited to join in this fun evangelization game.

Am I converting souls with this little game? Well, we know that’s for the Holy Spirit. What I do know is I am bringing joy to the people open to receiving this little gift. So far, everyone I’ve encountered already knows Jesus, so why bother? Because any opportunity for bringing up our Lord is a beautiful moment of engagement. I’ll never know the impact of this game, but that’s not the point.

I discovered an important element to this mission: it has engaged my family. My husband pops a figure in his pocket when he goes out to run errands. My daughter plans to place her Tiny Jesus figures all over the school for the students to find, but my heart burst when my grandson took his Tiny Jesus and wanted to give it away immediately. In a sweetly unintended way, he has learned to be joyful in sharing his faith. That’s enough to keep me stocking Tiny Jesus for the next surprise encounter.

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