Christian Living

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As I gathered my things and patiently waited in line at my local grocery store last night, I received an unexpected gift from a stranger. Even though I wasn’t the intended recipient, I received it just the same. It made an otherwise uneventful trip mean so much more.

As I stood there in line checking emails on my iphone and worrying about things that were beyond my control, I couldn’t help but notice the unusually long amount of time it was taking a young woman, located a few people in front of me, to complete her purchase. As she fumbled through her wallet and dug in her change purse, the beautiful little baby riding in her cart showed more patience than most of the adults in line. Her daughter had a look on her face that seemed to say “yes, she is always like this”

As I began to think about my family patiently awaiting my return home, I suddenly realized what the young lady was doing; she did not have enough money to get everything in her cart and was trying to decide which items she would have to return in order to be able to pay for her groceries. She started asking the cashier to take items back out of her bags, one by one, and requested a new total with each item that was scanned. A loaf of bread, a bag of potato chips, some lunch meat… it went on a while.

As my curiosity grew I casually began to peer into her cart to see the type of items she was keeping. Was this lady holding up our line by putting back sandwich fixings, just so she could have the latest gossip magazine, a carton of smokes, and a few bottles of wine? She only had a few bags in her cart, and her total was over $60, so there had to be some high dollar vices in there somewhere, right?

To my surprise the cart was filled with baby formula, diapers, and medicine. It was at that moment, as she finally put back enough of her basic food items to meet her meager budget, that she mustered up just enough hope in herself to give the cashier a smile and tell her “I’ll be alright, as long as my baby doesn’t have to do without.” She then proceeded to turn to the man in line behind her and sincerely apologize for the delay she had caused.

As the cashier began to ring up the next person behind her in line, the gentleman asked the cashier “Could you please ring up those items she put back first and put the in a separate bag?” She eagerly scanned the items and prepared the bag for the man. Then he dashed to catch the woman before she got out the door. Everyone in lined paused to watch as he handed her the bags and simply said “God bless you, you are not alone.”

As the man returned to the line, not a single word was said. However, the tears that were streaming down the cashiers face seemed to say enough for everyone. It was in our silence that I was able to witness the most inspiring part of this heartfelt show of brotherly love. It was something that was so subtle that I am sure it went unnoticed by the others in line. As the cashier completed the gentleman’s transaction, I watched as he held his breath, then gave a gentle sigh of relief as the credit card machine read “transaction approved.”

I was reminded of the parable detailed in the book of Mark, Chapter 12, in which a widow woman presented 2 mites, as her offering to the Lord. In a room filled with rich men giving of their fortunes in gold and silver, Jesus told all who were there how this poor widow woman gave far more than anyone else. The reason “For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

During these difficult economic times it is easy for us to get caught up in our own situations. People struggling to make a car payment, or a mortgage can easily be blinded by their own immediate needs. Their perspective of their overall situation is tainted by fear. In moments of desperation we tend to lose sight of the things that are truly important, our faith, our health, our family, and last but not least, the welfare of our fellow man.

What have you done to share God’s love with others today?

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