It was Friday and, in my world, that means grocery day. Come sleet, rain or shine, the pantry needs a fillin’. On this particular Friday, it was sleeting. I stared out of the kitchen window listening to the ice bounce off of the deck. There was no getting out of it. I had eeked my way through breakfast with some cinnamon/sugar toast, but there was no way I could serve up anything resembling a lunch.
I made my way to Aldi, put my quarter in the slot for a buggy and made my way around the crowded aisles.
Pop tarts? Check.
Two gallons of milk. Check.
An hour and a half later, I emerged from the store just a tad grumpy. The lines had been long, the people less than friendly {myself included} and I was about to head back out into the freezing cold. I loaded the bags into my car, returned the buggy to its spot and was back inside the warmth of my vehicle.
Then, I saw her.
I knew exactly what she was doing. Standing in front of the row of buggies and digging inside her purse. She was looking for a quarter.
She was hunched over. The wind was blowing. The sleet was falling. But, inside my van, the hot air was blowing and my hands were beginning to thaw. I waited. Please, lady, just find a stinkin’ quarter already. Another dive into the purse. Another shake of her head.
As I watched her, I couldn’t get this quote out of my head.
Help one person at a time.
Start with the person nearest you. I looked around. Maybe someone else was nearer to her? {Awful, right?} But, alas, all of the vehicles around me were empty.
God isn’t looking for us to do big things, but to do little things with big love. So, I shut off the engine and grabbed my “Aldi quarter” out of its reserved spot in my van’s console. I hurried across the parking lot, rested my hand on her shoulder and asked, “Do you need a quarter?”
For a moment, my ever present insecurity was certain she would look at me like I was crazy and say, “No. I’m just waiting on my husband to bring the car up.” or something of the like. But, no. Her face broke out into a crazy big smile and she tried to hand me her handful of nickels that she had managed to find in the bottom of her purse. I waved them off, rubbed her back {when did I become so touchy feely?} and told her to have a great day.
I ran back across the parking lot with the sleet still falling and a goofy smile on my face. What a gift I would have missed out on if I had stayed in the warmth and comfort of my van.
I think God must like teaching me things on grocery day.
Look around. Who is the person nearest you?
Most don’t realize that when they act to be the hands and feet of Jesus…they usually are the ones who are truly blessed!
You are much braver than I am. If I saw sleet falling I wouldn’t leave my home!! God bless you!