Shoebox Coins for a Pro-Life Cause

Today is recovery day 182. No reflections from running yet. But I do have some reflections none the less and they relate to the recent anniversary of the grievous Roe vs. Wade decision made 35 years ago.

My reflections actually are on a very special boy who made his own decision about how he could contribute to the Pro-Life cause. His church, in their efforts to keep the Pro-Life cause before the congregation, gave a challenge during one of their services to the children, teens and adults. The challenge was to fill two large sized baby bottles with money that would then be given to the local Pregnancy Resource Center. The children were to give coins, the teens - dollar bills, and the adults - checks . Later that same day, the special boy told his parents he was thinking about giving his entire collection of coins he had been saving in a shoe box for some time. He wondered if it was okay if he did, since he, his younger brother, and their mom were all competing to see who could collect the most coins in separate shoeboxes for the sole purpose of spending the combined amount on some fun family event at a later date. The boy's mother and father were quite surprised at his idea and told him to do what he believed the Lord put in his heart to do with the coins. He decided he would give his shoebox of coins to help save unborn babies. As you can imagine, the parents were very proud of his decision.

The day of the pro-life service had come to bring all coins, bills, and checks to church. When the boy was reminded by his mom to bring his shoebox full of coins to church that evening, he had told us he had read a verse earlier that day about giving. It happened to be part of his regularly scheduled Bible reading. It was 2 Corinthians 9:7 - "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver." He thought it was really neat how he got to read that verse on the very day he was giving his shoebox coin collection away.

As his mom pondered these things upon her heart, she began to feel a prompting by the Lord to do likewise. But she had a little struggle with it. So she thought, maybe I can just give "some" of it. So she opened her shoebox full of coins and took out a portion to bring to church. However, during the service, her son's example was pressing in hard. Even the songs during praise and worship pressed in - "Not even my silver or gold will I withhold" were words that were being sung by the congregation. Then those words in Acts 5 which describe what one couple did - "kept some back" came to her mind. It was then that she knew what she needed to do. She needed to follow her son's example and let go of all her shoebox coins for this pro-life cause!

Yep, that mom was me. And that boy was my son. I confess I wanted to keep the coins for my family, so we could have a little extra to do something fun. I did not want to give up my shoebox full of coins. It had become a small piece of security to me. Something to fall back on when my kids needed a "pick me up." After all, ministry life can be tough, and they do sacrifice certain things. Those were my excuses.

Truly, I continue to learn about surrender. And this learning to live a surrendered life means there is nothing we lean on or hope in. Not that we live without being good stewards of our finances or material possessions. But that we find our continual well being and joy in the Lord's provision. We simply lean on Him, always, continually, daily. Moment by moment. Holding nothing in our hands. Keeping nothing in our grip. Ready to follow the Lord's leading and bidding. Especially when the Lord speaks his bidding through a special boy who became quite the godly young man right before his mother's eyes.

I am hoping that one day in heaven my son and I will meet a soul that was saved because of our combined shoebox coins!