"You have to work hard to offend Christians. By nature, Christians are the most forgiving, understanding, and thoughtful group of people I've ever dealt with. They never assume the worst. They appreciate the importance of having different perspectives. They're slow to anger, quick to forgive, and almost never make rash judgments or act in anything less than a spirit of total love . . . No, wait--I'm thinking of Labrador retrievers!" David Learn, 1998

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Grace received: A little thing

     Jerry and I were at Trader Joe's yesterday. I came around the corner into the frozen foods aisle ahead of him. The only other person in sight was a woman halfway down the aisle, headed away from us.
     As I came around that corner I heard a small, curious clink. I walked forward with my ears cocked, listening to discover the source of the noise. There was another small sound of something landing, this time on the floor ahead of me. Now I saw the cause, rolling toward my feet.
     It was only a penny. But I picked it up because we give all found money to the Ugandan Lambs, children orphaned by AIDS.
     Standing there holding the coin, I remembered a newspaper clipping about pennies I had received just a day or two before from a friend in Oregon. Printed in 2005, it was the story of a wealthy man who had no need for stray pennies but who always picked them up because the words "In God We Trust" printed on them reminded him to trust God and to check his heart to see whether he was trusting Him. 
     I had been feeling oppressed and uncertain that morning. I had asked God for reassurance once again that we are hearing Him right and following His leading. Now I examined the penny. Yes, the words were there: IN GOD WE TRUST. In case I didn't get it, the penny had been minted in 2005.
     Between my fingers was an amazing personal reminder--almost a whimsical one--that I need to keep trusting Him, that He knows what He is doing, has it all under control. Whatever we are going through, He can handle it. He is sufficient for all my needs.
     The penny had not dropped or it would have fallen into the frozen foods. As far as I could determine from the direction of the two sounds, the trajectory the coin followed, and the force with which it landed, the penny had been thrown across the open frozen goods bin from the shelf above them, as if from the next aisle--but a wall made that impossible. It was almost as if it had jumped.
     The first clink must have been the penny tipping the metal edge of the glass front of the bins, about waist-high. There was no other hard surface that could have caused that sound.
     The second sound must have been the coin hitting the floor--and indeed, I saw it hit at that moment and watched it roll a foot or so toward my feet.
     It was just a little thing, a very little thing. A little, awesome reminder of my great Abba's love.

No comments:

Post a Comment