What makes, drives or push us to the point of action? Often times I find myself watching a situation from a distance trying to figure out the out come from a distance so I don't rock the boat. The last thing I want to do is have someone get up set with me or worse make me feel like I am a dim wit for saying or doing something when I didn't know the big picture.
Yesterday, was on of those days. As I stood in line at Kroger, carefully sorting my purchase and placing it on the belt. I noticed the person in front of me was finishing, a little old black lady carefully getting out her little wallet and handing all she had, to the young man barley 18 behind the counter. After the cashier told her the total and counted what she had, he then called her over and said the total again and with a dazed look she went back to her little wallet trying to find the difference. By this point I knew what was coming. I had worked in a grocery store before and had to do the very thing, I was now dreading that the cashier would do. The little old lady with a careful thought asked to put back some of her very modest purchase.
I couldn't help but be moved with compassion for this lady who could very easily be my granny or me in years to come. I turned to Stephen and quickly explained what was taken place and asked if it would be okay to take care of her balance, without hesitation Stephen said " of course".
By this point the lady was standing over her bags trying to decide what she could do without. I explained to the young man that we wanted to take care of her balance. There was an odd pause and then he started talking to his manager, explaining to her what we where doing and she told him how to handle the transaction. You'd think I was trying to pass a bill through congress or something. Then the sweetest thing happened that just melted my heart and brought me to tears in the middle of kroger. The cashier told the lady I was taking care of her balance and she started crying and saying she couldn't believe it. Then I started crying and told her not to worry one bit about it because if it were my granny I would hope someone would be kind to her. As she cried the bag boy and manager helped her to the side of the store out of the way because she was moved. I found a Whitfield Baptist Church invitation to give her on our way out and let her know that we would love to have her stop by for service and take her out to eat.
We got out to the car and I just cried. I was just so upset at the thought of it being my granny. The manager, bag boy and cashier were so surprised that we would do such a thing. They said people just don't do that any more. Which also eat my lunch because how many times have there been that I just was so focused on myself I couldn't or wouldn't be moved by what was going on right in front of me. I praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity to be a help to this little old lady and for the reminder it is, to let myself be moved more often to do something then just wishing I had after the situation is over
