For me the word later became associated with the great Prime Minister of the Netherlands Abraham Kuyper whose life and legacy impacted and still impacts my life today in ways that I can’t even begin to fathom. One story I heard often was that children would go door to door with a tin can with a slot cut in the top to collect pennies which would become the funding for the Free University of Amsterdam. I have seen similar cans in my home as a child, a tin which collected small change for the building of Christian Schools in Canada. I am always humbled by the fact that these ordinary people started schools in a country to which they had just immigrated. That’s pretty gutsy.
But this has continued to live itself out in my life as well. It is the kleine leyden whom I have known who give most generously to make great things happen. It comes in lose pocket change and whatever can be afforded and always far beyond their reach. This is still the way this upside-down kingdom works. We often think we are going to get these big donations to launch a project but in fact it is still the tin can with the slot in it that builds the dream.