Secrets to a Thankful Heart: Pennies from Heaven (Part 1)

by Marilynn Chadwick I wanted to find a practical way to remember the amazing things God has done in my life. So I began to save my spiritual souvenirs, my “Ebenezers'' in a special box I call my “Ebenezer Box.” Not much bigger than a shoebox, it looks like one of my grandmother’s old hat boxes. What about you—have you ever seen a sign or wonder? If you start paying attention, you might be surprised like I was when I started to find all those pennies! My granddaughter Anna Grace was intrigued by the stories in my box. I gave her one of her own so she can collect her Ebenezers. Why not start your own Ebenezer Box? My Ebenezer Box holds treasured reminders that God is still in the miracle business. Some of my spiritual victories have been dramatic, such as the medically validated miracle that allowed us to have our three children. Those moments were like a roar. God was using his outside voice! Miracles like that get our attention. But I’ve learned that God’s wonders are often much quieter—more like a whisper—especially when he’s working in the everyday details of my daily life. And if I’m not watching, I just might miss him! A penny taped to a greeting card in my Ebenezer Box reminds me of one of those times. After all, what could be more ordinary than a penny? Who would think that a penny might be a whisper from God? A little penny may seem commonplace. But it tells of the time God answered my prayer in a way that was unmistakably him—and left me speechless with awe. I don’t remember the first penny that caught my eye. For months I had been noticing pennies in the strangest places. Sometimes I would discover one at my feet—just as I was praying about something. Funny, I thought. It’s almost as though God wants to let me know that he hears my prayers. I sure hoped so. I was going through a spiritually dry season in my life. I can’t remember all the details. What I do remember is that I desperately wanted to believe God was still at work and that he cared about me. I was a young mom with two small children. David and I had worked hard together for over ten years of ministry building our church. Sometimes, the sheer load of caring about so many people became exhausting. Could these pennies really be little messages of encouragement from God? I wondered. Perhaps it was wishful thinking. After all, the world groans with the weight of earthquakes, injustice, and war. God has better things to do than send me pennies. Still, I hoped. And there it was. Another penny. This one in the heel of my shoe, just as I was preparing to put it on! The last penny had been under a glass on the kitchen shelf. The one before that, right in the middle of my bed! (To be continued tomorrow...)