i've been trying to figure out how to tell this story because i'm worried some will think i'm telling it about myself...you know what i mean? i can't stand when people tell their tales, and the motive is clearly to boost "self" to others. naaaaaa...that's not my motive at all. what i love about this tale is that it's about the adventures/missions that we get to go on with god as a result of a real relationship with him. sometimes, we don't even know we are a part of something good and have to trust that he's working...other times, he shows us.
so...it was right before christmas, and i was getting my last minute ingredients at wal-mart. it...was...insane!! (if you know me at all, you know that i'm not made for trench warfare shopping...) anyway, i was waiting in a looooong line of people....frustrated people. well, there was a man in front of me who was buying gifts for kids and a lot of food. when he went to swipe his card, it declined him. he must have thought there was an acceptable amount on the card, so he asked the cashier to start removing food from his tally. then he would have her swipe it again...only to be declined again...he would remove more stuff and be declined again...and again...and again...
he was removing the food so that he could, at minimum, get the gifts.
it was literally breaking me up inside. #1...that he had to be in the awkward situation in the first place. but #2...that he was trying to care for kiddos!!!
to be a man in that position???...not able to give gifts to his kids???...how horrible that would be!!! no one deserves that!
well...he got it down to $50, and it still wouldn't accept it. he asked the cashier, who was now extremely irritated, to suspend his purchase so he could go try other cards in the cash machine for an advance on credit.
everything in me felt desperate for him!!!
i couldn't take it anymore, so when he walked away, i leaned in to the cashier to talk to her. i told her that i knew that my card wouldn't be declined, and i asked her if she would please just tell him that it was anonymously covered. i told her that those gifts were for children and that i couldn't watch him not be able to give.
now, i'm not made of money...oh jeez! there's no way!...but i could not stand to see a father or uncle or whatever he was be destroyed like that!! so, i figured god would help me with finances...or i'd call mom and dad! ;)
well, the guy came back with enough cash. he purchased his gifts, and that was that.
part of me was a little disappointed in myself at first. i didn't know if i was supposed to assert my card or not...but then, if he had the cash, i didn't want to rob him of his sense of buying the gifts for the kids either! (ya, it's a treat in my head...hehe.) so, i purchased my stuff with a host of internal conflict about whether i did the right thing or not, and i grabbed my stuff to walk out.
"that wasn't for him. it was for her."
that's what shot through my head!!!!
"her?", i thought. "who's that?"
so i turned around to look at the register...
and there 'she' was!! the cashier girl was still staring at me...and no lie...she smiled and said, "you have a merry christmas!"
i have no idea what was going on in her heart. i'm guessing god will fill me in someday. but, for some reason, god used that interchange for her.
my internal conflict stopped right there...and now, i'm excited for more opportunities to love...love with him.
my god is a hottie! ;)
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