1.
One afternoon as I crossed one of the busiest streets in town... As I walked along with all of zero dollars in my pocket I ponder the state of my financial affairs. As a poor but honest graduate student, I was well used to the first week of the month (after the bills were paid) being very tight. I found myself in this usually busy intersection which on a Saturday at 3 in the afternoon would normally be bustling with foot or vehicular traffic. I happened to look down and there I saw three fifty dollar bills tightly folded and laying in the very center of the intersection. I looked all around; I looked ahead of me and behind. I looked East, then West and there was not a single person on foot or in a vehicle as far as my eye could see. I picked up the money and looked around again. I slowly walked the block and a half to my apartment expecting that at any point someone would scream out for their lost rent money; their lost medical prescription co-pay.
Once home I placed the money on my dresser and stared at it as if I had stolen it. I felt bad, even though I needed the money. I could not help thinking that some one had lost money that might have bee very critical to their needs. I put the money in the top drawer. As I lay on my bed I pondered what could be done to return the money. I could put up a sign asking if anyone lost money? I quickly realized that this might well end up one of my most ridiculously bad choices of all time. I still felt bad for the person who lost the money. The money sat in that drawer for a couple months before it occurred to me that the universe had conspired to present it to me that day. Sometimes what we need is right in front of us but, we don't realize that it is for us. We don't realize that we are all worthy of grace.
2.
A similar story to the one above happened a couple years later. I again, found myself walking down the street with empty pockets. The skies were bright and sunny and I was in a swell mood. Suddenly, there was a whirlwind in front of me much like a cartoon tornado. I had to close my eye to prevent debris from getting to me. When I opened them the whirlwind had subsided and I automatically reached for a piece of paper that the wind had placed squarely on my left peck (chest). As I was about to fling the paper to the ground I stopped myself because it looked familiar. I held the paper in front of me now that the wind was gone only to notice that it was a crisp twenty dollar bill. This time I had no doubt that it was mean for me!
3.
Back then during those same grad years, I had walked over to a nearby convenience store and purchased a scratch off lottery ticket with the last dollar in my wallet. I figured that one buck could not lead me directly to prosperity or hell so, why not? I left the store and pessimistically removed the waxy coating over the numbers to reveal that I was indeed a winner. I had won $500.00 dollars! This discovery was made about halfway from my apartment which was just a couple blocks away. I made a very quick about face and returned to the convenience store to cash in the ticket. I noticed a couple surly sorts about the store that seemed to linger too long for my tastes. I therefore whispered to the woman clerk to not say anything out loud about my winnings but, rather to be very casual about the transfer of the money from her register to my greedy palm. She nodded agreement and I handed her the ticket. It was at this point to my shock she wailed out "HOLY SHIT YOU WON! YOU WON $500.00!" The ears of the too vagrants perked up and they moved forward as if to collect their winnings; all smiles. "WTF," I thought. How am I going to get home? I accepted the money from the woman and could feel the breath of one of those guys on the back of my neck. I quickly left the store. I started to sprint and fast; at a rate that might have actually kept me on the track team in school! I ran across the busy street not waiting or thinking about traffic. I continued to run and then looked behind me. The two guys were on my tail and gaining. I knew that I would need 2 keys to get into my building and there would just not be enough time to get to safety. Fortunately, a couple friends of mine, Bob and Aaron shared a house at the end of the block. Praise Jesus, they were sitting on their porch! As I ran up the steps and past them, I screamed "HELP" and ran into their house. They quickly followed closing the door behind them. Over dinner the next night the three of us laughed as if I hadn't actually been scared shitless.
