The tension lay thick as a layer of fog
over the front end that morning. We were working slowly on a day that
demanded we move fast. The baggers were all busy with other tasks,
leaving groceries to pile up on the belts. There was a break in the
communication flow between managers and their minions, so the
customers knew more about the day's sale than the cashiers checking
them out. And the incessant yawns of those nearby made me long for a
cup of coffee that was decidedly outside the moment's reach. We were
stressed out, put out, and just plain grumpy, and it looked like we
were headed for a very long day.
And then God came through my line.
He arrived in the guise of a small,
bald baby, seated in the front of her mother's cart. Her soft pink
arm was raised high as her fingers opened and closed repeatedly in
her version of a wave, a huge smile on her face when her lips weren't
closed in her attempt to blow kisses my way. She was a 10-month old
bundle of joy, and my heart was instantly captivated at the sight of
her. The rush of work that had seemed so important just seconds ago
stopped completely as I stood transfixed with my hands clasped in
front of my chest, and my eyes wide with delight as I took in the
sight. Somehow her mother's order was processed and her bags loaded
into the cart; I know I didn't help much in the effort. I just knew
that I had to absorb every minute of the Son-light that baby
radiated, and by the time the cart was pushed away, there was a smile
firmly affixed to my soul once more.
He didn't need to explain Himself to me
- I got the picture! - but I guess He wanted to emphasize His point.
So it wasn't but a few customers later that a woman came through with
a bag of chocolate chips that suddenly split open and spilled
everywhere. They were on the belt, on the floor, and mixed in with
the rest of her groceries. We quickly got her another bag and cleaned
up the mess as best we could. But for the next hour or so a chocolate
chip would suddenly come down the belt seemingly out of nowhere,
knocked loose from a temporary lodging by the multitude of groceries
passing by to suddenly catch my eye. I gathered them up with a grin
as they came and soon found that my mood was rising as high as the
little stack of brown candy by my water bottle. And I got the point.
God doesn't leave us out to dry on our
difficult days. His promise to never leave us alone doesn't just
apply to what we consider the bigger issues of life. He's in the
little things that bother us as well, and He responds in little
ways...in little bits of sweetness that He sends our way, hidden in
the mix of ordinary moments to suddenly surprise and captivate our
hearts...to lift our moods and get us through. Too often we don't see
them as the gifts they are, and we brush them aside or kick them out
of the way, as some later customers did with the remaining chips they
found on the floor. How much happier we would be if we would gather
them up with gratitude and drink them in to refresh our thirsty
souls.
I did just that the rest of the day.
There was the coworker who made me laugh with a funny story in the
breakroom...a manager who made a point of saying hi as she went
by...a customer's comment about my hair...a friend who waved hi as
she waited in another line. When the list became too long for my
memory, I grabbed a strip of receipt tape and began jotting them
down. You see, God is also into gathering. He instructed His
followers to gather manna, fish, souls...even leftovers. Each time
after Jesus fed the groups of thousands that were following Him, He
gathered up the leftover pieces of fish and bread so they wouldn't be
wasted. Leftovers of a blessing are a treasure themselves! Little
things matter to God, and at the end of my shift I had a list of the
same that brought an abundance of surprise smiles on a day that was a
struggle.
When I thought I needed a coffee fix,
God sent chocolate chips to give me repeated sips of Living Water
instead, and I found that they were what I was thirsty for after all.
“...she said, 'Even
the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.' Then
Jesus said to her, 'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is
granted.'”
(Matthew 15:27-28 NIV)
Love this post, Elaine. God is so personal in the way He meets our needs!
ReplyDeleteYes, He is, Susan, and I am grateful! Thanks for reading!
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