We All Need a Little Jesus
Sometimes he’s wearing a purple sash. Sometimes it’s green. All the time his arms are outstretched and his bearded smile is painted with just the right intensity of warmth to bring an instant uplift, even on the cloudiest of days. Little Jesus is popping up all over Maple Valley, and it’s so stinkin’ cute.
The Tiny Trend involves secretly hiding 1-inch plastic figurines in unexpected places with the hope that someone else will find them. If you find one, you can either keep it, re-hide it, or take a picture of it to share the scavenger hunt online. It weighs less than a plastic paperclip. It costs pennies. Yet when someone finds a tiny figure with bright green sleeves staring up at them from the tire inflation machine at the gas station, their shoulders drop, their mouth turns up, and for three seconds, whatever stress they were carrying gets interrupted.
The spark of happy that these little critters and Christs provide is nondenominational, nondiscriminatory, and noncommittal. It’s part of an undercurrent of nice that seems to circulate in our little town in the foothills. The first time I saw a Little Jesus, he was perched atop the automatic door opener at the post office. I’ve noticed cows and frogs there, but Little Jesus didn’t start making appearances until this spring. Now he’s everywhere.
Lately he’s been multiplying himself at our favorite Mexican restaurant, showing up unannounced at the base of the cash register and among the decorative plants. The owner is a bit distressed about the accumulation of the almighties as her cultural focus is primarily the Blessed Virgin. “I don’t want to throw away Jesus!” she lamented one afternoon, and eagerly handed over the miniatures with a mixture of anxiety and relief. Now I have a lot of little lords on hand. Oh, I’m so on board with this Christ Craze! Much more fun than Elf on a Shelf ever could be. For the record, I was never hooked by that trend and my kids were thankful I wasn’t. Now, Sasquatch on a Shelf? I should market that idea.
Whether it’s a tiny figurine on a cash register or an extra dollar left at a coffee shop, these gestures share the same root: a quiet, lighthearted way of saying, “I’m here, and I hope this brings a small moment of good into your day.” Little Jesus is simply adding another dimension to a town already brimming with kindness.
Random Acts of Kindness
Spreading love is something our town seems to be really good at. During the Covid pandemic, there was an uptick in the Starbucks surprises here in Maple Valley. The drive through for a mocha latte at Four Corners often resulted in the patron in front of me paying for my drink. Appreciatively, I’d pass the kindness on to the next person. One time a barista said the chain maintained for 32 people in a row! What a beautiful reminder at a time when we were all so disconnected that we can still share a commitment to community.
To my heart’s delight, there’s a hiking trail next to the Farmer’s Market that is dotted with little gnomes. Throughout the patch of woods you’ll find them scattered among the ferns and logs. The idea is to search for and admire the little people then secretly add to the populace. Watching a child’s face light up with wonder makes joining in entirely worth it. Such a small thing to do, yet the payoff spreads a warm glow.
Kindness is more than a trend in our little town. It’s part of its charming character. Last year as I was soaking my feet in the salon, to my astonishment, my pedicure was paid for by another customer! In the grocery line when someone was struggling to find change, I watched a kind man dip into his wallet to help. A friend of my daughter’s saw me fighting with the clay soil and thick roots trying to plant an azalea in my back yard. He took the shovel from me along with 10 minutes out of his busy day and put it in the ground for me. The abundance of kindness is everywhere, and it’s kinda hard to miss.
Secretly Paying It Forward
I know firsthand how a single act of kindness can carry you through a dark season. When my husband passed away unexpectedly in 2010, a dear childhood friend of mine sent me a check for $3,000 with the sole request of paying it forward someday. Opening the envelope and seeing the gift – with “Pay it Forward” in the memo line – left me standing at the mailbox in tears. I’ve never had the ability to give someone all $3,000 at once, but over the past 16 years, I’ve put that money back into circulation with smaller acts of kindness to keep the love flowing.
It’s my spiritual practice not to publicize my quiet acts of giving because the blessing is in the doing, not the acknowledgement. The reward isn't recognition; it’s knowing that love came from a place of genuine goodwill. Darkness cannot extinguish God’s love, which exists plentifully in every one of us. All that I have is a gift from God and that which I can return to others is multiplying and amplifying that love.
Passing It On
I visited my daughter’s restaurant with a Little Jesus in my pocket with the hopes of secretly stashing him somewhere. I walked to the back of the food line and looked around for a shelf to discreetly place him. One of the workers noticed me, and having an odd little task in my hands broke the usual hurry of a restaurant shift. It gave us a reason to stop, laugh for a second, and take a moment to pause.
They followed me to my table, pulled out a chair, sat down with a heavy exhale, and began playing with the tiny figure resting on the table. Twirling the one-inch plastic Jesus between two fingers, they looked at it, laughed under their breath, and then the laugh gave way to honesty. “It’s been a heavy week,” they said. For the next ten minutes, the restaurant noise faded into the background while they talked and I listened.
Had I not been there in the back, setting down that Little Jesus, we wouldn’t have that opportunity. It wasn’t about me, but about Christ who took an opportunity to work through me. That is truly what I think Little Jesus is all about – spreading the love one small interaction at a time.
Don’t Let Your Left Hand Know What Your Right Hand is Doing
That’s really what these little plastic figures are doing. They’re tiny, quiet sparks of goodwill left on store shelves and doorframes, reminding us that we don't need grand gestures to pass along a little care to the person standing right next to us.
As I stood up from the restaurant table, I reached into my pocket, brought out another small plastic figure and set him squarely on top of the windowsill near the door. I didn't stick around to see who would find him. I just walked out into the Maple Valley morning, leaving a tiny bit of plastic behind to do its job.
August 12, 2026
p.s. Here is a list of 100 secret acts of kindness if you're looking for some ideas.