Pennies from Heaven

Blog written March 27th-Two days after major life change occured

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf. I watch is all year long. What could be better than Will Ferrill dressed as an overgrown elf who falls in love with a blonde Zooey Deschanel? Nothing (that’s a little dramatic because we are completely discounting the beauty of ‘You’ve Got Mail’ and how at least one quote from that movie accurately describes my life 99% of the time). Plus one of my all-time favorite kamp memories involves a dear friend masquerading as Buddy during breakfast and pretending that Kauai’s dining hall staircase was an escalator. One of the few moments in my life I wish I had on camera. But anyway.

I was listening to the soundtrack at work today. I needed a little Christmas cheer. I have had some major life changes in the past few days and one song hit me hard. Have you ever listened to ‘Pennies from Heaven’ by Louis Prima? If you haven’t, look it up!

“If you want things you love, you must have showers,
(so when you hear it thunder). Don’t run under a tree.
There’ll be pennies from heaven for you and me.
(Every time it rains, it rains) Pennies from heaven
(Don'tcha know each cloud contains) Pennies from heaven?”

As I was processing those words, I was thinking about my walk with the Lord and my current situation. My first reaction this week was to run from the storm, to shut down in the midst of change, and complain about how my life wasn’t meant to be like this (and then watch 4 hours of Netflix and eat my weight in paleo ice cream). I gave myself a day to be upset, disappointed, and cry but then I moved on. I made a choice to see the pennies over the raindrops.

How often do we discount the pennies because we hear the thunder? Sometimes we need stand out from under the tree and watch the Lord change our hearts from seeing the rain to seeing that each cloud has a penny or two to offer. We have to make a choice of which one we will see.

We may not see the blessings immediately or even within the year but the confidence that there will be a blessing is worth walking through the rain. It is worth stepping out from under the tree and being soaked to watch the water turn into pennies.

I am walking a road I didn’t ask for or choose but I want to walk it with grace, honor, and integrity. I see the rain but mixed in the rain I see pennies from Heaven. I may not see why this road is the one I'm on but, in the words of Kid President "if there are two paths, I want to be on the one that leads to awesome."

It is what it is.