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 water-way, 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 causally
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 is 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 can not change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and
had to smile. 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...
If you know who wrote this, please let me know so I can give credit.
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