Today is Penny Day.

Let’s be honest. If you saw a penny on the ground, would you bother to stop and pick it up? Most people would probably step right over it and not give it another thought. After all, it’s only worth a cent! But on this day that honors the very first currency of any type authorized by the United States here are a few, well, pennies for your thoughts:

• The word “penny” was derived from the British coin pence.
• Over 300 billion one-cent coins, with 11 different designs, have been minted since 1787. Lined up edge to edge, these pennies would circle the earth 137 times!
• More pennies are produced than any other denomination.
• The Lincoln penny was the first U.S. coin to feature a historic figure and was the first coin on which the words “In God We Trust” appeared.

But perhaps the most amazing fact is that one of the most important sources of giving to local charity groups is the penny! Through the power of the penny, charities are able to raise millions of dollars annually for great causes. For example, groups such as Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities, UNICEF, and the Salvation Army all rely in great part upon the collection of pennies to fund their organizations.

A penny saved becomes one cent added to another added to another, and before you know it, you soon will have one million pennies! When it comes to giving, the Bible is clear that it the amount doesn’t matter as much as your willingness to give. So don’t think that the pennies you have saved up in your piggy bank are insignificant, or that it doesn’t “pay” to pick up a lost penny. Even the smallest amount given in the spirit of love can amount to a big deal.

If you are really eager to give, it isn’t important how much you are able to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you don’t have (2 Corinthians 8:12).

To Do

Start your own penny harvest for a mission organization or a ministry at your church. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the pennies add up!

Also on this day . . .

Today is National Turtle Day.

1827—The first nursery school in the United States was established in New York City.

1873—Postal cards were sold in San Francisco for the first time.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.