Seven years ago, I scurried out of my office to the cafeteria to take my lunch. While hurriedly walking on my way to the cafeteria, I found a GHS50 Cedi note on the floor. I was surprised because I hardly come across money on the floor those days, but hey, I’ve got to look for the owner. I picked the money and stood there for about 5 minutes and then, I saw a woman hurriedly walking and looking for something on the floor. She looked stressed and drenched in sweat caused by the hot and unfriendly African sun. As she whirls around her eyes hoping to find what she was looking for, her mood seemed to have been overpowered by that feeling of a hopeless situation, yet she was determined to find the missing money.
“Have you misplaced something?” I inquired and fixed my gaze on her. “Yes, Sir. It’s my money; GHS50 and that’s to feed us for 3 days till my husband returns from his journey. It’s a neat GHS50 Cedi note”, she said as tears welled up in her grief stricken eyes.
According to her, she had just gone to cash out the 50 Cedis the husband had sent her and unfortunately misplaced it. Being convinced that the money belonged to her, I handed the neat GHS50 Cedi note to her as well as my personal token. At this moment, the tears that had been suppressed and withheld in the tear gland for long, tore open and streamed down her eyes. With a grateful heart, she took the money, held my right hand and began to bless me for saving a terrible situation they would have gone through if the money were not found.
“Mr. Man, I prayed and told God to send an angel to keep the money till I find it”, she joyfully said with a shaking voice as the last remnant of tears still glittered in her eyes. “I haven’t seen an angel before, and I don’t know how one looks like but since God answered the prayer, I believe you are the angel sent from God. God used you as a vessel to save a situation and to personally bless me today. What then can I say than to say thank you and God richly bless you”, she concluded with a heart full of gratitude.
I left for lunch feeling fulfilled and sharing in her joy after encouraging and blessing her shortly. As I have flashbacks of this event, I caught some lessons to share with you.
LESSONS TO LEARN FROM THE STORY
- God still answers prayers. In this short story, the prayer of the woman was answered timely. The biggest lesson to learn here is that God still answers prayers. Instead of sitting down to cry and complain about your unfortunate situation, pray and take the right actions for desired results. The woman prayed and in addition, took the next step to look for the money. Do not pray and expect God to bring the miracle to your doorstep; make an effect to move, take the right steps and your actions will bring unimaginable results. Sometimes, it is not how long the prayer takes is what matters but the faith backing it.
- Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you. Sometimes, you may chance on some tempting opportunities that seemed okay to grab when no one is watching. But remember, true character is defined not by what you can get away with, but by the choices you make when no one is watching. The world is full of alluring shortcuts and easy paths, offering quick rewards that might seem enticing at first glance. Yet, it’s important to realize that those momentary gains often come at a steep price – the erosion of your own integrity. It is therefore expedient to resist the urge to take what doesn’t belong to you and be the guardian of your own conscience. When no one is watching, remember that there are always two people who are watching you: Yourself and God, the One who sees all secret things and rewards accordingly.
- Represent God very well as a true ambassador: Many people have never seen God, Jesus Christ and Angels before but our lives must reveal the nature of God and Jesus for others to know the God we serve. The problem with today’s generation of believers is that, there are many people who are horrible representations of the God they claim to serve and testify to others to come to Him. Instead of removing obstacles on the way of people to know Jesus, our improper representation of God can serve as a stumbling block. One hurtful deed to your fellow man can weaken the confidence and harden the heart to serve the LORD. Let us represent our God very well to reflect the beauty of Christ in us for others to emulate.
- Others suffer when we take what doesn’t belong to us: One of the obvious things some people would have done when they chance on missing money is to take it and leave the scene immediately without being noticed. In Africa, many people are deprived of basic things, suffer each day and go hungry when we take or steal what doesn’t belong to us. The fact that the missing money seemed to have no owner does not mean that there is no owner.
- Be the angel someone is praying to meet. In life, do not always pray asking God to connect you to prominent people of influence. Sometimes, you have to pray to be connected to those you can be of help to them. Seeking out the spotlight to bask in the glow of prominent figures and influencers may increase your confidence and self-worth but sometimes, pray for the humbling grace of connecting with those whose lives you can touch, enrich, and uplift. Aspire to be the hand that reaches out in times of need, you become an essential thread in the intricate tapestry of human connection.
To conclude, let’s learn to make our daily encounters and experiences in the life of people count. Let’s learn to make life for each other more meaningful and worth living. Today, it could be a brother that needs help but tomorrow may be your turn.
Written by Overseer Ernest Kojo Akorli (Kpasenkpe District)