The Penny and The Cross
As I walked early Saturday morning, distributing fliers at an apartment complex, I felt a little discouraged. I was hoping to have someone walking with me. I found no one who wanted to go, so I walked alone. As I knocked on the first doors of the first building and taped on fliers inviting the residents to an outreach event, I looked at all the buildings surrounding me, felt the sun growing hotter with each step and asked myself, or God I guess, " Now why is it I am doing this?" I went up the stairs and down the stairs of the first building looking down as I descended. On the bottom step of those stairs on the very first building was a perfect, bright, shiny penny. I reached down and picked it up. I knew God had answered my question. He seemed to be saying there will be a reward for my efforts. Of course, that penny didn't seem to be much of a reward, but I knew it was from God. I put it in my pocket and knew I would put it in the offering at church Sunday. I would plant this perfect penny as a seed and watch God take it, grow it, and use it to reach this place where I was walking. This penny from God also let me know that I definitely wasn't walking alone.
I continued to walk up and down stairs until I had reached all 100 doors. As I came down the last stairs of the last building I looked down. In the grass by the last step was something that looked like a silver cross. It was just a small piece of metal, but it was shaped like a cross. I knew God once again was reminding me there was a reason for doing this. The reason was the cross. If Jesus went to the trouble of dying for me on a cross I guess the least I can do is walk around and hopefully help someone find the power of His perfect sacrifice, the power of His love, His forgiveness, the power of His cross.
As I got in my car I took the shiny penny out of my pocket. I looked at it closely. It wasn't as perfect as I had thought when I first picked it up. There was a dent in it.
I knew once again God was trying to tell me something. Even though we think we are making some sort of sacrifice by giving a little of our time to God, our efforts aren't all that perfect and shiny if we question why we are doing what we are doing. Those questions put a dent in our sacrifice. I laid the penny on the car seat and asked God to bless this place and asked Him to forgive me for thinking my small sacrifice was anything compared to His.
I knew once again God was trying to tell me something. Even though we think we are making some sort of sacrifice by giving a little of our time to God, our efforts aren't all that perfect and shiny if we question why we are doing what we are doing. Those questions put a dent in our sacrifice. I laid the penny on the car seat and asked God to bless this place and asked Him to forgive me for thinking my small sacrifice was anything compared to His.
Today think of the cross. Think of His sacrifice. Look at it closely. You will never find a dent in God's perfect plan, His perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, who freely gave His life for all of us.