A Rich Story about Being Poor

My father was the the youngest of three boys. His father was in the military and they were stationed in Germany. It was a tough time. "Plenty" was not an option. He tells stories of walking down train tracks to gather coal to help heat their house. One year a family friend handed down a raccoon coat to the oldest son. It was used but in great shape. The two younger brothers coveted it. Another year went by and the coat was handed down to the middle son, who wore it constantly in the German winter. Finally, the coat was passed down to the youngest, my father. By this time, the coat was in horrible shape, missing clumps of hair with patches in various places. Dad was mortified! He refused to wear the coat at all because he didn't want to be seen by his friends. It was getting colder and dad stuck by his guns that he wouldn't be seen in public with the coat. One day he was home alone. Everyone in the house was out somewhere and it was just him. A knock sounded on the door and when he opened it, he was thrilled to see that it was Germany's equivalent of the Salvation Army. He immediately donated the old, nasty coat and was nearly glowing with the realization that he was done with it forever. NOW, he could get a new coat!

Would that life were so easy! It was a month later when another knock came at the door and his mother answered it. Dad was sitting nearby and heard a gentleman say, "Your family has been chosen as one of our needier families and we have some things for you." His mother stepped away from the door and Dad watched as they brought in several sacks of clothing and food items. Excited, he began rummaging through the bags, only to discover that he had received back the very same old, raccoon coat he had earlier donated. While dad was devastated, I'm sure God had a good laugh about that! What were the ODDS that this could happen?! A good lesson for us all: be satisfied with what you have. God knows what you need.