Pennies from Heaven

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will that go among so many? Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.' So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten." John 6:9-13


This past year at school I took on a new role. I became the sponsor for our Student Council group. It was a new position so I probably didn't do everything "right" but I had fun with the kids and learned a lot. During the year we did several activities that dealt with fund raising for different groups. Toward the end of the year the students voted to have a penny drive. I had been part of penny drives before but just by bringing pennies and dumping them in the collection container. Great idea kids!! I was very naive! My plan was to collect all the pennies and then have the kids help me count and wrap them. It would work out well! Or so I thought!

Right now I have two very large boxes full of pennies in my dining room. Some things happened at the end of school that prevented the STUCO students from helping me with the counting and wrapping part. So the responsibility fell to me. This summer I have been counting and wrapping pennies. The problem is the more I count and wrap the more pennies seem to be in the box. When I think I'm getting towards the end there is a multitude of pennies left!
I keep thinking it's like the loaves and fishes! However, I have not been thrilled by the new appearance of more pennies. After reading this verse this morning I realize the people of Jesus' time must have been overwhelmed with this miracle and thankful for the food that was supplied!

Suddenly, I am very humbled. I realize that I have been seeing this penny counting as a terrible chore that just has to be finished. I have been dreading sitting and counting and wrapping. I have been selfish in my thoughts about how I wish the students had not voted to do this project. Now, I see the beaming faces of my students as they proudly added their pennies to the container knowing that their money is going to help children suffering from cancer. How many other small parts of my life do I see like this? Am I thankful for the clothes we have to wear or do I grumble about how much laundry I have to do? Am I thankful for the house I have or do I complain about having to clean it up? Am I thankful for my job or do I dread having to grade papers? Am I thankful for my husband while others are widowed or do I get upset that he's not romantic enough for me? Am I thankful for my three healthy children or do I get ruffled over their smallest offenses? I think you get the picture!

How many of us go through life with so many blessings from God and never pause to even acknowledge them? Sure, we are great at being thankful for the big stuff-the clear CT scan, the promotion or raise at work, the tornado that didn't hit our house, the accident that didn't happen and so on. How are we at the small stuff though? Check out this passage in 1 Thessalonians, verses 16-18.

"Be joyful always: pray continually; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

The emphasis on the word "all" is mine. I see that it doesn't say "give thanks when you feel like it" or "give thanks when it's something really great" or "give thanks when you feel you deserve it". I might be naive when it comes to penny drives but I am not naive enough to think that I will suddenly start being thankful for "ALL" in my life. I do know though that if I ask God to start helping me in this area of my life he will. Then it will come more naturally. It is definitely easier to be a complainer or whiner in this world. So will you be thankful with me my friends? Let's give it a try with God's help! And, while I'm being thankful, I think I might take the advice of my principal who helped carry one of the penny boxes to my van. "Next year we'll do a dollar drive-it'll be lighter!!"