My eyes took a second blink. There on the asphalt was a wee dot. Yes, it was Abraham Lincoln staring up at me from the copper spot by my car door. I started to enter the car, but then stopped and bent over. Somehow I just could not resist the opportunity to capture a penny. Placing it on the seat beside me, I drove home.

As I drove, however, my mind continued to reflect–Why in the world would I feel the need to take home a very seasoned one cent piece? Certainly it was not worth much. In fact, I could think of nothing that one penny would buy. The days of penny candy were history. Young people have never heard of a one cent postage stamp. At one time the government considered discontinuing the wee, copper coin.

So, was I crazy to pick it up from the grubby ground? Hum!  Wonder what the Lord had to say about a penny? A quick Google search found at least fourteen references to the cent piece. Two sparrows were sold for a penny, and yet if one fell to the ground, guess who knew it happened? Yep! The Father keeps track. (Matthew 10:29.)

A second reference relates the time Jesus was sending out the twelve to teach and preach. As a reminder, however, these teams of two were NOT to take anything with them except a walking staff. No food, no bag, and not even a penny in their pockets. (Mark 6:7-11).  So, maybe it was silly to pick up that penny.

But then, I read on.  In Matthew 20 we find the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Wages! Wages! Wages!  All workers expect to be paid for their efforts. So what was their salary for a day? ONE LONELY CENT. Can you believe working all day and then be handed a single penny?

I had almost ignored an entire day’s pay for a workers in the first century! Even the widow’s mite should have reminded me of the importance of very small amounts of wealth, when being used to further the Kingdom. 

Again I checked out Goggle, only to discover the median wage, per hour, for USA workers in 2019 was $19.33. My “swift math skills” expanded the information to an eight hour working day, only to discover that my single penny on the floor represented, in today’s wages, about $158.64. Incredible, in one sense. 

How sad, when you think of the penny representing an entire day’s wage. Could we extend this analogy to people? Have we, perhaps in our lives, thought of a homeless lad, a street person, or a panhandler at the stop light, not worthy of our help? Should we discard the thought that a person riding around in a wheel chair is unable to really serve the Lord? What about a person speaking a different language then English? Certainly, you might say, nope? No job for them in our church? Or the “copper penny” representing people of color? Hum! Could any of us be guilty of thinking twice about their value for the Lord and His work? Shame on me. Maybe shame on thee.

Take a moment. Stop! Rethink the value you place on the “lonely penny” and how sub-consciously you might be almost ignoring some penny in real life today. The penny picture shown will always be a reminder to me that, All People are valuable in the sight of the Lord. He calls everyone to service. Join me, as I try to remember that principle every day of my life.