A Surprise in the Closet

by Shari Minke

All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.

Edwin Markham

Ugh! I tried pushing the hangers in my bedroom closet. Curling my fingers behind the metal rod, I felt the obstacle preventing my success. I pulled out a wad—it was two crumpled ten-dollar bills! Instantly my fingers went into search mode feeling for more “wads.” Ha! I discovered another one, then another, and another! Laughter bubbled out of me as I threw money on the floor. I dropped to the floor, flattened the money, and counted.

I rushed over to the phone and called my husband. “You’ll never guess what just happened! I found $800 in our closet!”

Tom was as stunned as I was.

“What do we do with the money?” I asked.

Tom chuckled. “Call your dad—he’s a wise man—but the first thing I want you to do is to check all the closets!”

Finding no more money, I called my father. Dad’s counsel was this: “According to the law, when you purchase a house, all its contents become your property, so legally the money is yours. But you have to ask yourself, ‘What is the ethical thing to do?’ Ask God. He will show you what He wants you to do with the money.”

Seven years earlier we had purchased our home from a man named Fred. We learned that Fred built the home for his wife. It was their dream house. After they lived in the home for only two years, Fred’s wife died of cancer. He left the house empty for another two years, unable to bear the thought of selling it.

During the seven years we had lived in the house, Fred passed away. Fred’s daughter, Judy, lived in our subdivision. I struggled with whether the money should go to Judy.

I told God honestly, “I really want this money. You know it would help with our current cost of finishing the basement, but what do You want me to do with it? Please show me.”

A few days later while reading my Bible, words on the page seemed to blaze like neon lights. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5, my emphasis).

In that moment, I had the answer. God also impressed on my heart this message: Wait. I will tell you when to give Judy the money.

The following Sunday, I felt like I was hit with a bolt of lightning. God spoke to my heart, saying, Go! Go now! I jumped off the couch, stuffed the money in my pocket, and said to Tom, “I’m going to Judy’s house!”

When Judy opened the door, I could see she had been crying. I asked if I could come in, and she graciously invited me inside.

“Judy, a couple of weeks ago while I was moving the clothes in my closet, I discovered some money hidden up under the rod.”

Dropping her head, she smiled. “That would have been my mother.”

I pulled the large wad of bills out of my pocket and said, “Well, this money belongs to you."

Judy sat stunned for a moment as I placed the bundle in her hands. Then she shook her head as if coming out of shock and said, “Uh, no, wait. You found the money—it belongs to you.”

“No, Judy. The money belongs to you.”

Tears streamed down her face. “I’ve been alone for awhile. It’s not often that my husband and kids are out at the same time. Just before you came over, I was missing my mother so badly I walked into the family room and took a picture of her off the wall. As I was holding the picture, I said aloud to God, ‘Please, just let me know my mom is okay.’ Then you showed up at the door.”

Now both of us were crying!

For seven years I had shifted the seasonal clothes in my closet. Never had the hidden wads of money hindered me. How inconceivable that God knew a day would come when Judy would be missing her mother so terribly and call out to Him for comfort. God was there, waiting to answer her call.

Two weeks later Judy and her husband showed up on our doorstep. Smiling, Judy handed me an envelope and said, “We feel you should have half of the money. You didn’t have to tell us about finding it. We want to share the gift!”

Gratefully, we received the money and used it to help remodel Judy’s parents’ dream house.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

Matthew 7:12 NIV