Tim Conway, comedian and actor, grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a safe and happy town where almost everyone went to church. God was a mysterious presence in his life, and even though he had no proof God existed, everyone said He did, so Tim figured He must.
Every year at the annual Blossom Festival a carnival came to town. Down by the river a magical mini-village sprang up with its giant ferris wheel, booths and the smell of popcorn. Ten year-old Tim had fifty cents in his pocket as he made his way to the midway, five dimes he'd earned on his paper route. After buying a coke and ticket for the ferris wheel, he decided to try his luck at a game booth where he saw a white plastic cross that glowed in the dark. Tim decided he wanted it.
All he had to do was snag one of the plastic ducks with a little fishing pole and get the prize named under it. First dime, first try, he missed the ducks entirely. Second dime, second try, he hooked a duck but only got a cheap charm. Third dime, third try, another cheap thing. Tim wanted that cross but was out of money.
Sad faced, he started walking back home wishing he could have that cross. Then he spotted something shiny next to the sidewalk - another dime! Tim picked it up and started back for the midway and another chance.
This was a big moment, so he sat down under a big maple tree and prayed, "Lord, I would really like that white cross, the one that glows in the dark." He spoke his little prayer slowly, got up and went to the booth. He handed over the dime, concentrated and snagged the first duck with the pole hook. It won him the cross!
"I kept that cross under my pillow until I went to college," Conway later said. "and I still have it." In his subsequent years of uncertainly, from college exams to casting calls, Tim Conway has been bolstered by the assurance he'd gain that day when he prayed. He never forgot the answer to his prayer, nor the God who gave him the cross.
Does God ever seem mysterious and intangible to you? Do you hear He exists, but you're not quite sure? Then watch for a small sign from Him that He does, a sign of His love shown by a cross.
Jesus never fails!
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