Truth or Testimony? | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Truth or Testimony? | Previous Challenge Entry
By Frances Pace
09/04/13
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Have you ever counted your change before leaving a store or were putting your groceries away only to discover that you hadn't paid for a particular item? What did you do about it? When I was very young; I viewed these situations as a gift from God, never giving any thought to who may have to account for the honest mistake they made either in their paycheck or their job itself. I felt like a winner as if I had gotten one over on the system. You know what I mean! Justifying to myself that everything was too expensive anyway and merchants made way too much profit so that was one for us, the people.
As the years passed and I grew in maturity, I was no longer that naïve, inconsiderate, selfish, consumer. These mishaps continued to happen from time to time but I saw them in a different light. Perhaps it was the light that was always there, but I was too busy worrying about me instead of where that light was coming from and from whom!
In recent years, I've had two particular situations that I thought would surely cripple me psychologically or at least cause me undo stress and hardship. After shopping one afternoon, I returned home only to discover I had left my entire purse in a shopping cart. Frantically, I hopped back in my car and prayed on the way back to the store that a clerk or another shopper had turned it in. I thought about all the headaches and heartaches having to replace cards, close out my checking account, the loss of the money and personal belongings that could never be replaced. When I finally arrived at the store, I dashed in looking like an escapee from a mental facility only to find my purse still hanging on the basket. Thank you Jesus was the first words out of my mouth.
The second time I felt the generosity of my fellow Christians, I misplaced my wallet after attending my weekly Bible study session in a not so good neighborhood in town. I knew I had it when I left home but when I returned home, I was looking for something in my purse and realized it was gone. I drove back up town and looked all around where I had parked and went into my friend's house as well, but no luck. Returning home, I prayed that St. Anthony would come to my rescue with a little ditty that some of us Catholics learned as children; "Tony, Tony, come around, something's lost and can't be found." Several hours later, I got a call from our local police department telling me that they had something at the station and if I could identify it, they would release it to me. Again, thank you Jesus was my response. After giving them a description of a few of the items in the wallet, they gave it to me and reassured me of how lucky I was.
Now feeling so blessed and grateful, I inquired if I could give the finder a reward and they said they couldn't give me that information. I felt let down that I couldn't express my gratitude to them. I asked God to bless them somehow and vowed to pay it back either by making an additional donation in the collection plate or volunteering in our Soup Kitchen. For whom so much is given, much is expected and if you've been graced with extra blessings, don't forget to share the wealth.

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