I always heard unusual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gave me something to ponder.

Several months ago a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home and my friend was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went very well, and my friends were delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. They knew they would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so they enjoyed themselves immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. My friends wondered if they were supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the sidewalk except a single darkened penny that someone dropped and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.

He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he ever take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, my friend could stand it no longer, she casually mentioned that she'd once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he'd found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it up for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?

"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words, "United States of America" ... "No, not that; read further." ... "One cent?" "No, keep reading." "In God We Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"

"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray. I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. And, for a short time at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting up a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"

;When I was shopping yesterday I found a penny on the sidewalk; I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words
"In God We Trust" and had to laugh.

Yes, God, I get the messsage.

Humbly Yours,
"TalkerCat"

Thinking like a servant is difficult because it challenges the basic problem of my life:
I am, by nature, selfish.  I think most about me.  That's why humility is a daily struggle, a lesson I must learn over and over. 
The opportunity to be a servant confronts me dozens of times a day, in which I am given the choice to decide between my needs or the needs of others.

..."Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself" (Phillipians 2:5)

Service starts in your mind. 
To be a servant requires a mental shift, a change in attitude. 
Much of the world does not understand what God values. 
One of the most beautiful acts of love shown to Jesus was criticized by the disciples.  Mary took the most valuable thing she owned, expensive perfume, and poured it over Jesus.  Her lavish service was called "a waste" by the disciples, but Jesus called it "significant", and that's that mattered. 
Service for Christ is never wasted regardless of what others say.

"TalkerCat"