I had the privilege yesterday of doing grocery
shopping for a family who needed some - us.
It wasn’t nearly as fun as it used to be. Ever since we got married going grocery
shopping has been like a date for Chris and I.
It’s the time we can talk without the usual interruptions of the
world. It’s been a while. Actually I did take Chris with me in a sense through
the miracle of modern cell phonery. I had
several questions about the orders she placed on the list. Well, not a question so much as I just
couldn’t find some of the stuff, and I needed her call on what substitutions to
make.
We have been talking at church about
looking for opportunities to share your faith, so I looked for the checker we
have been working to establish a relationship with. She wasn’t there, so I chose a random line
with a young girl who looked fairly fresh.
After all it was morning. When I
got up to the counter, though, she was having some problems. Seems her photo gun thing that shoots the price
codes didn’t work. She just had to lift
some heavy bags of kitty litter and now she was sore. I struck up a conversation with her about it
and encouraged her with, “What you are doing, you are doing very well. Even if WalMart doesn’t appreciate it, God is
watching and he knows where your heart is.”
Her entire countenance changed.
She grinned and said, “I know that’s right. It really is.
I believe that, you know. Boy do
I believe that.” I chuckled and asked
where she went to church. She told me
and I let her know I went to Seaside down in Jamaica Beach. She said, “That’s really far out there.” I laughed and gave her my “It’s only eleven
miles from right here” speech. Very
pleasant conversation. Always great to
discover another believer and get a chance to encourage her.
Then as I was hurrying out the door pushing
the cart with our food supply, I noticed a little old lady sitting by the door
on that bench they have for little old ladies (and gents) who can’t handle all
the walking involved in a trip to the store these days. I smiled at her. Her eyebrows rose just a bit, and the corners
of her mouth slowly formed just the hint of a smile. Then she said, “Praise Jesus. Praise the Lord. Jesus is Lord.” Stunning.
I looked down at my t-shirt to see if I was displaying any indication of
my Jesus-ness. I glanced backward and
quickly ascertained that we werehalf a store away from where I had checked out. All the while my own smile grew just a bit
wider, and I responded, “I know that’s right.
It really is.” Sounded kind of
familiar as I replayed in my head my previous conversation. There it is.
Be an encourager and it will come back to you. I’m not totally convinced that she was an
angel in disguise, but her message of encouragement sure did come from
God.
Psalms 61:1-3 says, “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I
call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against
the foe.”
Father, help me keep my eyes open for those
“chance” WalMart encounters. Amen.
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