Let Go… Let God and the Miracle of this Vintage Jesus Coin
10 years ago at a Catholic Conference a woman came up to me, reached into her pocket, and handed me a bronze vintage coin with the face of Jesus on one side and the image of an eagle carrying the Bible on the other. The coin also bore the Bible verses, “If God be for us, who could be against us.”— Romans 8:31 and “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.”— Philippians 4:13
As I held this coin I knew that it was very special. The woman shared with me the story of the coin — she told me it was the very first coin used as a token in the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Recovery program. I was unaware that the original mile marker token was a Jesus coin. I held it in my hand and prayed quietly for all those struggling with addiction along with a prayer of gratitude for my family members that were still recovering and healing.
The woman gave the coin to me with the hopes that one day I would use it to make a Wearable Blessing and share the story.
As I returned home from that conference with the coin in my pocket, I began to research the first AA token and I could not find anything about the Jesus coin. I had to dig deeper…. and suddenly there it was! For the first 15 years, Alcoholics Anonymous was a Christian healing program, designed by Bill and his Protestant Pastor. In fact, as you read the first version of the 12 Steps, they incorporated the healing grace and power of Jesus Christ. Over time the 12 Steps and the program have been modified to be more inclusive and open to all faiths without exclusion and the Jesus coin was replaced with chips. I understand the need to be inclusive, I also understand the POWER of Jesus Christ and HIS ability to heal. If we call HIM by His name or simply by His DIVINE and PERFECT LOVE we are healed.
This coin is a reminder that “With God All things are Possible”
With this truth in my heart, I carried around the Jesus coin for months. About a year later I flew to Atlanta for a Gift Show. As I sat in my airplane seat, I began to draw out the pieces that would incorporate this special coin. I envisioned a necklace and a key chain. Although most of our My Saint My Hero Wearable Blessings are in gold or silver, this one had to remain bronze, I wanted it to look and feel like the original coin. I titled the Blessings “LET GO LET GOD” and folded up the piece of paper with this inspiration and stuck it in my purse.
I jumped into the bi-yearly Gift Show in Atlanta and was completely consumed with the activities and the hustle and bustle of the market. Suddenly a woman came up to me to share how much she loves My Saint My Hero. Before I could thank her, she looked me in the eyes and said, “Please make a piece titled 'Let Go, Let God'… we need it now more than ever". I started to cry, I reached in my pocket for that coin, held it out to her, and told her the whole story. She was in her healing and recovery phase and in that moment she was affirmed that YES we really can do anything with GOD on our side.
—Amy D'Ambra/MSMH Founder and Co-Owner