A Penny's Worth

How often do you bend over and pick up a penny on the sidewalk? "Pick up a penny??? Why bother? What can you get for a penny?"

Well, I stop and pick up pennies all the time. There's a number of reasons why I do it. Number one: After I pick up 100 of them, even if they've been run over and nicked up and scratched, I can trade them in for a dollar. If you saw a dollar on the street, would you pick it up? Of course you would. It's the same thing except you have to pick up more pennies first to get to the dollar.

Number two: it's good for me to bend over and flex my waist and back muscles. Sometimes I squat down and flex my gluts and thighs. The older I get the more important it is to maintain flexibility, so I guess you could say I'm getting paid to do a little exercise.

Number three: sometimes the penny is near a nickel or dime or quarter. If someone has tipped change out of their pocket when they're getting in their car, there may be more than pennies lying around.

Number four: You can put them in the penny tray at the convenience store. How many times have you taken a penny without putting a replacement in later? If you pick them up off the ground, it doesn't cost you anything and you won't feel bad next time you have to use one from the penny tray. Pennies can assuage guilt.

And number five, the main reason: Pick up a penny and look at it. Over Lincoln's head are the words, In God We trust. Every time I bend over and pick up a penny, I am reminded that God is trustworthy and that He is looking out for me. I can't tell you how many times I have been stressed over one thing or another, and when I get out of the car and look down, there's a penny. I can't always see the words, but I know they're there. In God We Trust. A reminder of who I put my trust in. It's much more than just a phrase or a few trite words; it's a way of life. Trusting God, that is, not picking up pennies.

Let's say you are faced with a stressor like a test or a speech. Let's also conjecture that you claim to trust in God's plan for your life and His promise that you are more important than a bird. Now put it into perspective. Say it to yourself, "Because I trust in God, I'm going to let this test/speech get the best of me and fail miserably." Because I trust in God, I can't win. Because I trust in God, I have no future. Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it?

Start with "Because I trust in God ..." and then tag on whatever trial you are facing. You'll start to grin and realize that worrying runs counter to what God wants for us. Try it. I think you'll like it. I can't take credit for stumbling onto this, either. I read it somewhere else and I realized how completely true and correct it is.

We all get tripped up when we read Philippians 4:6 where it says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." (NLT) My response has always been something along the lines of a very deep and philosophical, "Yeah, right!" But I'm learning to trust. And part of the lesson has come in the form of pennies with a reminder that God is worthy of our trust. Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (NIV)

The next time you see a penny, pick it up and accept that blessing from God, that little hug over Lincoln's head that reminds us Who is in charge. Maybe it's God's way of inviting us into a conversation with Him.

I guess you still can get something valuable from a penny.

© 2008 Mike Zimmerli All Rights Reserved