A Wad of Money

By Phoebe Leggett

… do to others what you would have them to do to you. ~ Matthew 7:12 (NIV)

“I wish I had lots of money,” Collin said as he and his mom were shopping. “Then I could buy all the video games I want.”

“You don’t need more stuff,” his mother said. “Besides, there are better things to spend money on than games. Be thankful for what you have.”

Collin looked down, embarrassed. Then he noticed a wad of green paper on the floor. He picked it up and unrolled the small bundle.

“Look Mom. It’s money!”

“Let me see.”

Collin handed the bills to her.

“Eight-hundred dollars,” she said after she counted it. “You found eight-hundred dollars!”

“Now I can buy all the video games I want.”

“This money isn’t yours, Collin. Someone must have dropped it.”

“And I found it.”

His mother handed the money back to him, but didn’t look happy. “We need to find the person who lost it.”

“But Mom…”

“Then you decide what to do.” His mother walked to a bench near the door and sat down.

Collin plopped down beside her, gripping the money tightly in his hands. All the games he could buy swirled through his head, but something didn’t feel right. Reluctantly, Collin made his decision. “I don’t think I should keep the money, but how can I find the person it belongs to?”

His mother smiled. “Let’s find the store manager. He’ll know what to do.”

As they walked to the back of the store, they noticed a woman pushing a crippled boy in a battered wheelchair. The lady was crying.

“I’m sorry I dropped the money,” the boy was saying. “I didn’t mean to lose it.”

“Eight-hundred dollars was all the money we had to get you a new wheelchair,” the woman said.

Collin looked at his mom, then back at the boy. “Mom,” he said. “I think this money belongs to those people.” He walked over to the boy and handed him the money.

“Thank you, oh thank you,” the boy said. “Look Mama, God answered our prayer. He brought the money back to us.”

Seeing the joy on their faces, Collin was glad he had done the right thing. Still, he was quiet as he and his mother left the store.

“What are you thinking, Collin?” his mother asked.

“They said God answered their prayer, but I almost kept their money. I really wanted to keep it.”

“Did you ever wonder how God answers prayer?”

“Through angels and stuff, right?”

“Yes, sometimes, but who was God’s angel tonight?”

Collin thought for a moment, then his eyes grew wide.

“Me.”