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The Mystery of the Missing Money

I am thankful that my mother, Phally In, raised me up to believe in God and the Bible. She taught my brother and me since we were little. Now as a church planter, she teaches many others to know and love God, too. My friends who live in the same building as we do were interested in knowing about the Bible. I asked my mother and she started teaching us every Sabbath afternoon. Though I know what is right, I am still learning to obey God with all my heart.
     
When my uncle came from the United States to visit us, we were very happy to see him. He did not bring any gifts for us so he gave me $20 to buy anything I wanted. My mother suggested that I give her the money for safe keeping, but I decided to keep it with me. I had never had that much money before and I was excited to hold it in my hands and to dream of what I would spend it on. I went to the market and changed $5 into Khmer riels and kept the big fat wad of money in my pocket (about 21,000 riels). I knew I should pay tithe, but I made a choice to keep it all instead.

One day, I was washing my clothes and I took the money out and laid it on the ledge in the bathroom. In my haste, I forgot it there. When I came home in the evening, I went to get the money and found it gone. I asked my mother about it and she said she did not see it. “How could that be?” I wondered. I searched all through our room but it was no where and I did not know what to do. My mother offered to pray with me about the missing money.

I told my friend who comes to the Bible study and he helped me look. We pried the board away from the ledge and found my money in a pile on the floor, but it was shredded into little bits and pieces. A rat had come into the bathroom through a hole and stolen my money to make his nest. I was able to salvage a little over five dollars. 



Every time I go to church and hear the words of the offering song, I sing with a true heart now. I realize that my money is safest if I give it to God because all things belong to God anyway. I told God sorry for my selfish pride. Now, any money I get from cutting hair (I am a barber), I always give God what belongs to Him first and I help my mother because as a single mom, she sacrificed much to help me for so many years. I am thankful that God taught me this important lesson and I am also thankful for His mercy.