An Encounter…


She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. Proverbs 3:18 (NSV)

My least favorite thing to do is grocery shopping. It’s mundane, boring, and especially living in New York City, it is no fun. However, I was at BJs recently, the other Costco-type colossal store full of all types of food, etc. I finally got to the deli counter to order 1/4 lb. of Cheddar Cheese. A woman was placing a huge order and taking her time. The salespeople were milling around as if they had all day and probably did. No one was in a hurry but me. I was losing my patience. 

I started to get annoyed and said softly under my breath, “I’ll never get out of here.”  Not softly enough because the woman turned and asked, “Are you in a hurry”?

I expected a rude comment, but she said, “I’ll be here a while, so give me your order, and I’ll place it and leave it for you on the counter.” 

I smirked and thought, sure she will. I returned in 10 minutes. The woman was still ordering and there on the counter was my golden package of Cheddar Cheese. She turned to me and smiled. We exchanged pleasantries, and off I went happily with my Cheddar Cheese in hand.

This is not a huge revelation, but it helped me remember that God’s gemstones are sprinkled throughout our day. All we need to do is “Be Still and Know He is God,” and the minor things turn into bigger things for all of us. 

Shared by Carmen Matias


4 responses to “An Encounter…”

  1. How I love these kinds of stories…Once in Trader Joe’s I was shopping for gluten free bagels. There were none on the shelf. The salesperson looked in the back and there were none. I noticed a woman nearby and said without any attitude, “Looks like she cleared the shelf.” as she had an armfull of packages of gluten free bagels. “Oh well”, I said, “I’ll just come back tomorrow.” As I was checking out, I felt a tap on my arm. It was the woman with the armfull of gluten free bagels. “Here. You take this package.” I was so happy as this was such an unexpected gesture of kindness.

  2. Carmen, thanks for the reminder that kindness is always near, sometimes we do need to slow down. Loved the music shared with this story.

  3. LovelyCarmen,

    You’re right, these “little” things are gem stones. And it’s true that we need to pay attention, so we don’t miss them.
    Bendiciones

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