The switchover to decimal currency on February 15th 1971 ended centuries of tradition and it wasn’t an easy transition for the British people with many refusing to adopt the new money. Previously there were 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound, but now it was 100 pennies to the pound. A huge national campaign was launched to help millions of people and thousands of businesses to adapt. Families were confused, coin machines were obsolete and cashiers were retrained. Even the world famous London store, Harrods, employed ‘Decimal Penny Assistants” to assist confused customers with the new coins!
The transition to decimalisation took five years of planning. February 15th was chosen as it was thought to be a quiet time for banks and shops who were closed for 5 days ahead of the big day to allow cheques to be cleared and accounts to be converted. Don’t forget that this was before computers so the whole thing was done manually! Even though the new currency had arrived, the old stuff was still legal in banks and stayed around for a long time.
When someone encounters God for the first time, believes and understands that when Jesus his son lived, died and rose again, something extraordinary happens. We are quite literally born again into a new life and we begin to live with a new currency. Giving your life to Jesus happens in a moment but the process of transitioning from an old life to a new life is a process that takes a lifetime. The Bible says that if anyone in in Christ they are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. But don’t let anyone tell you that it’s a religious thing, it really isn’t. Becoming a follower of Jesus is a life thing!
