A husband and wife were invited to spend the weekend at the home of the husband's employer. The wife was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway and cars that cost more than her house!
The first day and evening went well, and she 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. The wife knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, and was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant one evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of her and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. The wife 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 boss 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. The wife thought to herself, “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 to the boss that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some special 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 and wondered, 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,” he replied.
"One cent?”
"No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?"
"Yes!"
“And?…” she asked.
“And,” he replied, “if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin, I note that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but most people never seem to notice it or pay much attention to it!
“If 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 up the coin as a response to God to indicate 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!”
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We’ve all heard stories about pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, etc. This story gives this a twist and hopefully a tool to turn our thoughts toward God. Just like in Jesus day, we have to pay taxes to the government, but only God deserves our trust and devotion.
Let a penny remind you, just like the man in the story, to stop and thank God for all His blessings and also to make sure you are trusting Him in your life at that very moment.
And Jesus said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Mark 12:17 NASB.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Hm, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. Psalm 28:7 NIV
- Anonymous
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On God’s Time
A man walked to the top of a hill to talk to God.
The man asked, “God, what’s a million years to you?” and God said, “A minute.”
Then the man asked, “Well, what’s a million dollars to you?” and God said, “A penny.”
Then the man asked, “God…can I have a penny?” and God said, “Sure…in a minute.”
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they are available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format:
If you have a story or testimony that you think might bless others,
I invite you to send it by email to me (Kenneth Kersey) at godsotherways@me.com.
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