$1.35

Chapel duty. Every couple of months, I have the honor of attending our campus chapel service on Sunday morning. I’m there to be an authority presence and to worship with the students.

It was one such morning a couple of weeks ago. Nothing was out of the ordinary. As I walked up to the chapel, I happened to glance down into the grass and saw a pile of change. Day made! I counted the change as I walked and discovered it was $1.35.

I strolled into the chapel, did my required duties, and went up into the balcony to got settled for the service. As I sat there, I held the change in my hand because I didn’t have any pockets. The constant weight was a reminder of the money and the question of how I would spend it. 🙂

The coke machine in my residence hall had recently gone up in price and was now $1.25. The change was weighty enough to cover my soda desire. Decision made, I sat back ready to worship.

Call to worship. Music. Sermon. Offering. It was at this point in the service that I felt the Spirit prompt me to drop the $1.35 into the offering plate. Cue my fingers curling around the change and all of my excuses…

-The coins will make a lot of noise in the offering plate and disturb the peace.

-What would they do with $1.35?

-I wanted a soda!

-I had found the money.

And thus, in the middle of worship, my sinful flesh surfaced. I was saddened by the realization of how quickly my sinfulness had sprung up. As my fingers uncurled around the change, the weight left my hand and clunked down in the offering plate. I felt the Spirit ask me what else do I have my fingers curled around? Are there any other “$1.35s” that I’m not willing to give up?

Some might think that I lost something, but this is what I found…The $1.35 was never mine from the beginning. I was just one vehicle that got the money to the chapel. It started out as the Lord’s $1.35, passed through my hands, and continued on for His glory and purpose. The $1.35 was just a prompt to turn my head and heart to the Holy Spirit.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23-24