In my last post I shared about one of my darkest times. During the month that I lost my job, my mom happened to be in Greece on a trip with one of her best friends, as a nursing instructor for a group of nursing students, touring Greece and the healthcare system there.
Both of my parents were very worried about me. I wasn’t acting sanely and I was so depressed about everything. At one point my mom shared a story with me about the friend she was traveling with. Her friend had also been through some very difficult personal situations in the past few years. Apparently one day the friend was out on a walk, praying for God’s provision, and asked if He could just please give her a sign that things would be ok for her.
She looked down and on the ground at her feet was a coin. She picked it up and saved it. For her it was a reminder that God was with her. Random, probably….but what that coin represented to her was HOPE.
Over the course of days and months she continued to walk and pray….and she always found a coin of some sort on her walks.
She shared this story with my mom when my mom was telling her about our situation. So on one of the days that my mom was in Greece she was out walking alone and was praying for us. Praying that we wouldn’t have to continue to go through hardship, praying that God would lead us to calmer waters….
And then she asked God to please give her a sign that things for us would be ok. And she looked down and found three coins.
What was significant to her about these coins was that there was more than one…and the less traveled spot where she was walking, made it unusual to find something like that there.
She picked up the coins and brought them back home with her and gave them to me in this pretty bag.
I will be honest, at the time I was still feeling quite cynical about God. I didn’t want to believe anything good about Him, because I was too comfortable wallowing in my own self pity.
I didn’t want to believe that these coins were a sign that things would be ok. I mean a couple of coins from Greece were not going to provide us with the financial security I felt we needed. I wanted, I needed, a change in our circumstance….and of course I wanted it right now.
Don’t we all??
I mean who of us willingly raise our hands and say “yes, please, some more hardship”? In fact, I have yet to develop the character in me that finds joy and contentment in the middle of suffering. I am afraid that I will have to continue to “practice” that over the years! 🙂
So here I am a year later, and interestingly enough, my mom and dad are back in Greece together. My mom said that she was excited to be back there and was talking about the three coins.
And what I realized about the coins, at least for me, was that they represented the faithful people that had supported us and lifted us up last year. Well and not just last year….for many years before that too.
My mom is what I would call a prayer warrior. She says she will pray for you…and then she does. She prays at red stop-lights…and keeps praying until the person she is praying about doesn’t need it anymore. (Needless to say we have been at the top of her list for a LONG time – and good thing that there are a lot of traffic lights where they live!) 🙂
And not just my family…but friends prayed for us, followed up with us, celebrated in our joys and carried a portion of our burdens when we struggled. I am amazed at how lucky we are to be surrounded by such a wonderful group of believers.
These three coins remind me that I am supported and prayed for all the time. From family to friends….so many people have lavished us with their prayers….and God has heard every one of them.
Friends, I hope that you also find yourself surrounded by people that encourage you and pray for you. It is a blessing to be prayed for and it would be an honor for me to lift you up if needed. If you have a prayer request please leave a comment and let me know how I can support you!
May you have a blessed start to your new week!
