Living a Parable

"Or take another illustration: A woman has ten valuable silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and look in every corner of the house and sweeps every nook and cranny until she finds it? and then won't she call in her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her? In the same way there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner repents."

Luke 15:8-10 (TLB)

Upon seeing a coin on the ground, Gary Crabtree, from Ohio, used to pick it up, slip into his pocket, and continue on without another thought. Then he read Luke 15:8-10. In Jesus' parable of the woman and the lost coin, the woman searched diligently throughout her house until she found the coin. She was so happy that she called all her friends and neighbors to come over to rejoice with her. Jesus said the found coin represented a repentant sinner.

Gary started to think about how he could live out this parable. Each lost coin once belonged to someone, and God knows who they are. Gary decided that the next time he saw a lost coin, he would pray for the person who lost it, trusting that God knows who they are, where they are, and what they need.

Today, as Gary picked up a lost coin, he prayed something like this: "Heavenly Father, you know who lost this coin. If that person is lost, then let them be found and brought into your kingdom. And if this one is already part of your family, bless them today that they may rejoice in your goodness. Amen." Maybe Gary will get the chance to meet these strangers in heaven, and there they can rejoice together.

Prayer: O God, show us those who need our help and prayers today, in Jesus' name. Amen.