December 20, 2013

God Cares About my Small Needs

December 20, 2013

Today I had several things I wanted to accomplish before I went to the office.  One of the main things was that I wanted to get started on the grocery shopping for the next few days of family gatherings.  I took care of some things at the house first like the birdbaths, ponds, and bird feeders.  Doing so made me add bird seed to my shopping list.  I want the birds to entertain us this coming week while the family is here.

Grocery list in hand, I left to go to one of the Wal-Marts here in town to get some supplies to do baking and to fix some family favorites in the coming days.  Usually when I go to the grocery store, I try to get a basket while I am still in the parking lot and that way I have some time to see if it really works well.  I want the basket to go where I want to go, not where it wants to go.  I had a good one so I started the shopping.  As I shopped the basket got heavier and heavier to push.  It would turn the right direction, it was just heavy.  It was also overloaded.  I had added an 18 roll package of paper towels on top of an already full basket when I began to ask God to help me get it all to the car and loaded. 

God wants us to bring Him our concerns - large and small.  Mine was relatively small in the midst of a world filled with pain and suffering.  I just needed help getting to the car and loading all the groceries into the car.  With my right arm weak and sensitive, the job loomed ahead, large and possibly painful.

The line I got in to check out, only had one person ahead of me and I was pleased, and contentedly waited my turn.  A checker came and invited me to move to his lane which was empty.  He was such a good checker.  In Brownsville we have a ban on plastic bags.  We are to take our own shopping bags to the stores.  Some clerks resent having to put your thing in your bags instead of theirs.  But this young man was very gracious and sacked things very well.  He had cold things together and he did not overload the bags.  Still, the basket was overflowing.  A parking lot attendant came up and asked if he could help me take the groceries to the car.  God had heard my request and was answering it.

For many years, I have avoided talking to strangers.  I was always afraid I wouldn't be able to hear or understand them.  As this man and I walked to the car we carried on a constant conversation.  We laughed about things, we talked about families, we talked about Christmas shopping.  I have missed this kind of conversation so much for so long.  I had become afraid of strangers.  Not afraid they would harm me, but afraid they would talk to me!  I missed meeting new people or just chatting about the weather with someone I didn't know. 

Not only did God send someone strong to take care of my groceries, he sent someone who enjoyed talking to a stranger.  The wind was blowing very hard again today and as I opened the rear doors of my Suburban, one started to blow closed.  He caught it and told me to relax and he was going to take care of my groceries.  This kind-hearted gentleman had to be 70 years old, but he quickly loaded my bags and closed up the back securely, all the time with a smile on his face as he continued the conversation. 

All of that may seem minor to you, but not to me.  I needed the help and I needed the reminder of how far I have come.  There are times I get discouraged when I just can't understand a phrase that someone is repeating over and over for me, or when music just sounds like dull noise.  There is a video going around on Facebook of an a cappella quintet and everyone is raving at their beautiful sound.  I wish you could hear it as I do - not beautiful.  No I wouldn't wish that on you, only that you could experience it for a few minutes.  And I wish I could hear what you are hearing.

The rest of the day was fairly routine.  The doors at the office kept blowing open setting off the strobe lights in my office.  You would have thought I had opened a Disco in my office.  I worked on Christmas cards until closing time and then we met our Friday night dinner partners for supper.  It was a good day.  Now I need to get ready for the family to come home for the holidays!!