“It’s gonna be a minute,” I
heard him mumble.
He and I and others waited in
an inch-along line at a local gas station. We had both waited patiently, but I
would soon wait even longer. When his turn came, he twisted sideways, slid a
Ziploc bag from his pocket, and dumped the contents on the hard counter. I
heard the coins clang against the hard surface and heard them again as he
scraped them two by two toward the cashier—all two hundred pennies and two
dimes.
Seeing the line growing longer,
the cashier jumped in to help. When they finished, he mumbled something about a
pump number and disappeared out the door. Only later did I realize his efforts
amounted to only one measly gallon of gas.
Had I known the nature of his
purchase, I would have offered to assist him. Perhaps I was too pre-occupied.
By the time I realized what had happened, he was gone—and so was my opportunity
to show an act of kindness. The score? God 1, me 0.
Later that day, as I took my
afternoon walk, I asked God for another opportunity and vowed I’d be more
attentive next time.
Jesus looked on as the wealthy
cast their excess into the temple treasury. Their gifts didn’t impress Him. But
the one from the widow did. In a time when little to no help availed itself for
widows, she put in all she had on which to live. Jesus said she had given more
than all the others combined.
I’ve been down on my luck
before, but never to the point that I could only buy one gallon of gas. Nor
have I had the faith of the widow and given my last penny to God when I needed
it for food or to pay bills. When I have faced difficulties, some have passed
me by, just as I did the guy at the gas station. But many have helped, as I now
wish I had.
God arranges opportunities for
us to demonstrate His love in real ways to others. Telling others about God’s
love and inviting them to follow Him as their Savior is done with more than
just words. Our actions of love speak volumes, causing others to want to know
why we live as we do and do as we do.
Living with spiritual
sensitivity toward those who are down to their pennies takes practice—and a
whole lot of prayer. When we do, God will show us the opportunities. And if we
happen to be the one who’s down to pennies, God will send someone along to buy
us a few gallons of gas.
Ask God for opportunities to
help those who are down to pennies.
Prayer: Father, give us eyes to
see those we can help in Your name.
Tweetable: What do you do when you're down to pennies?
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