IN GOD WE TRUST

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...