The Lost Coin

Do you remember finding a penny when you were little? Maybe it was on the sidewalk or in the parking lot. It was your lucky day!

Here's a quick question: Do you still stop for pennies? If you were heading into the grocery store and saw a penny on the ground, would you pick it up? If not a penny, how about a nickel? A dime? A quarter?

What is the value of stopping and reaching to the ground to pick something up?

I ask this because yesterday I noticed a penny on the ground and I walked right by. I'm not sure why. Perhaps I was in a hurry. Or maybe it was too much of a bother. Or maybe it was dirty and would make a mess. Or maybe it seemed a little foolish to get excited over a mere penny.

I really didn't think about it until this morning when I had my devotions and read Luke 15. In this chapter Jesus tells several parables about the heart of God. He talks about the shepherd with 100 sheep who discovers one is missing. He sets out on a long search for that sheep and won't rest until he finds it. He tells the story of the woman who lost a coin and turns the house upside down looking for it. He tells the parable of the "Prodigal Son," which is really about the son who stayed home and didn't share the father's joy at the return of the prodigal.

It made me stop to wonder if I treat people like I do the penny in parking lot. Do I realize the value of the people? Do I stop to consider that the person that I am sitting next to at a basketball game is one for whom Christ died? Or that the clerk at the store is precious to Him?

Do I take the time to stop and demonstrate how important each person is?

Or am I in too much of a hurry? Or is it too much of a bother? Or do I think I might get dirty? Or do I think I would appear foolish?

There is greater joy in heaven over one who repents than ninety-nine who need no repentance.