When you see a coin lying on the ground, do you stop to pick it up or do you walk on by? For many people, these little treasures are seen as small blessings of fortune or good luck. For my friend Michael that monetary discovery means something so much more; because every time he finds a coin, he believes it is a call from heaven, a gift from God, and a message from his son Kam.
Biblical meaning of a Dime: Is it a Message from God?
Just one week after his twentieth birthday, Kam was being memorialized by his family and friends after a fatal accident. Kam was a rising star on the basketball court and his high spirit impacted numerous people. Kam’s father and I had graduated from high school together; so, I went to the hospital to pray for Michael and his son when I heard about the tragedy. Sadly, Kam would not survive, but because of the compassionate heart of his father, several other families were blessed when Michael generously allowed his son’s organs to be donated so that someone else could live. While Kam’s heart lives on in someone else’s body, Michael believes that his spirit also lives in Heaven; and from time to time, just when he needs the encouragement, Michael will find a coin that reminds him of God’s goodness and blessings.
Michael claims that he and Kam were both “ridiculously superstitious” and they refused to pick up a penny unless it was facing up heads, never tails. However, after Kam’s death, Michael began noticing pennies everywhere. He says the coins would be “in the craziest spots, sometimes it would be in spots that I had just looked before, just crazy spots. But the timing is always the same, that’s when I really need them. It’s just a sign from Kam that everything is going to be OK.”
There are many other people who feel this way too as this popular poem by K. Plunkett explains: “I’m sorry that I had to go – Even though I loved you so – Please don’t be sad while we’re apart – We’ll always be close at heart – Just so you’ll know that I’m okay – I’ll send some signs along your way – So look around and soon you’ll see – Dimes from Heaven – Yes, they’re from me! – Please know they are sent with love – From your angel up above.”
Is it possible that a coin on the ground, like a penny or dime, could be a message from a departed loved one? While my friend Michael finds pennies there are some people who claim that finding a dime is a message from an angel or a spirit guide of blessing. Are these lost dimes one way to find God? What is the biblical meaning of finding a dime? You might find it interesting to know that the Bible does speak about lost coins and finding a coin..
What does the Bible say about finding Dimes?
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In each of these parables, Jesus emphasizes that the sheep, the coin, and the son, were all of great value to the one who had lost them; and they went to great lengths to search for them and find them. When telling about the coin, Jesus says in Luke 15:8-10: “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Now, the coin in Jesus’ story was a drachma and it was worth about a day’s wages, so its value is certainly more than a dime you might find on the street or in the cushion of your couch. Yet, we often experience a small sense of joy in finding something that had been lost. The point of Jesus’ parables is that God values us so much more than a coin, and He wants to embrace us into His kingdom.
There are other people who believe the discovery of a dime is just as significant, and their rationale is that the number ten has a special meaning of completeness. Now I cannot tell you with certainty that every penny or the dime you find lying on the ground is indeed a sign from Heaven. The Bible does not provide us with a passage, a prophecy, or a proclamation that indicates that each time you find a coin that it has some spiritual meaning. Yet, the Bible also does not say that it is not a message from an angel, or a departed loved one, or even God. In fact, Jesus told one of His disciples that he would find a coin in the mouth of a fish as a sign from God (See Matthew 17:27). Jesus said in Matthew 13:44 that the kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure and when you find it, you should give up everything else to embrace it.
Therefore, the next time you find a penny or a dime on the ground, I would encourage you to think about how God stoops down from Heaven to pick us up as dirty, worn, lost, tossed aside, and of little value sinners; and He restores us, and cherishes us, and He embraces us as His very own. He rejoices, along with the angels, when we discover our true worth in Him. When Jesus told the story of the lost son, He said in Luke 15:24, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” That is the hope that Michael has for Kam each time he finds a coin – that his son is looking down upon him from Heaven. My prayer for each of you reading this article is that you will recognize that God calls from Heaven desiring a personal relationship with you, and that you are His cherished possession.
So, if the discovery of a coin turns your heart and mind toward Heaven, then thank God for the blessing.
Dr. Richard Sams is a top Biblical and Religious educator, who holds a Doctor of Ministry degree (Evangelism and Church Growth emphasis) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He has two masters’ degrees (Master of Divinity and Master of the Arts of Religion) from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg and also serves on the Pastoral Leadership Advisory Board of Liberty University. Moreover, Richard Sams has been serving as a pastor (Pastoral Ministry) at Calhoun Baptist Church in Calhoun, KY, from the past Nineteen years. He loves practically imparting biblical truths to the next generation, while occasionally conduct spiritual challenges on his facebook page facebook.com/MakeItCountChallenge