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THE PENNY
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband
were
invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My
friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very
wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more
than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to
have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's
employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest
restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to
indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself
immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive
restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of
Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement
for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him.
There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that
someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the
man reached down and picked up the penny
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket
as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this
man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to
stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her.
Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that
her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny
he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached
into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She
had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what
it says." She read the words " United States of America"
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God s holy, even on a coin.
Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on
every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it!
God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him?
Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see
if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response
to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish
it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation
with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When
I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped
and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting
in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In
God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate
number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are
plentiful! And, God is patient... |
“Jesus’
Baptism”