Being out in the community these days is a joy, but also fodder for grumbling. What? Grumbling? Unless you’ve been in a cave since Thanksgiving, you’ve most likely been out shopping for Christmas. The tree, the decorations, the presents, and … the crowds, and where there are crowds, there is someone grumbling. I’ve heard them, you’ve heard them, and well, I confess, I’ve been one of them. When my daughter was a young girl, we would head out to ___, one of those huge stores with everything. I’d complain under my breath all the way in there. “I hate going to ___. I can’t wait to get outta here.” And the litany would continue with my daughter saying, “You always say that, but we still come back here”, which I would give the usual response, “I know. (long pause) … I still hate going to ____.” There was certainly plenty to grumble about: long lines, not enough employees to answer my questions, and the exact thing I went to go buy was either hard to find or sold out.
One day I found myself in a long line, and instead of wondering why the checker couldn’t go a little faster, I noticed the people in the lines around me. There was the hurried mother with two kids in the basket and one hanging on her leg. Her face was full of concern as she checked her watch constantly and tried to watch the checker and the two girls in the basket, find her wallet, and console the now crying leg hugger. I began to look at the faces of those around me and saw a myriad of emotions and stances that made one wonder about their stories. All around me were people; people who were precious to God; people who had their own dire struggles; people who had their own deadlines. And then it struck me that I entered the store, a busy shopper who looked past and through the other busy people around me.
Being stuck in the line then became a blessing and a time that I was forced to stop and look around. There was a new joy for me. Instead of wishing the lady with 3 children would hurry, it was an opportunity to see her face and pray for her as I stood there. It put a new slant on things to stand there, praying for her to have peace and the calmness necessary to help her care for her children.
I hope that you are able to see people from a different perspective this Christmas and will reach out to them with a smile, a kind word or act, and even a prayer.
One day I found myself in a long line, and instead of wondering why the checker couldn’t go a little faster, I noticed the people in the lines around me. There was the hurried mother with two kids in the basket and one hanging on her leg. Her face was full of concern as she checked her watch constantly and tried to watch the checker and the two girls in the basket, find her wallet, and console the now crying leg hugger. I began to look at the faces of those around me and saw a myriad of emotions and stances that made one wonder about their stories. All around me were people; people who were precious to God; people who had their own dire struggles; people who had their own deadlines. And then it struck me that I entered the store, a busy shopper who looked past and through the other busy people around me.
Being stuck in the line then became a blessing and a time that I was forced to stop and look around. There was a new joy for me. Instead of wishing the lady with 3 children would hurry, it was an opportunity to see her face and pray for her as I stood there. It put a new slant on things to stand there, praying for her to have peace and the calmness necessary to help her care for her children.
I hope that you are able to see people from a different perspective this Christmas and will reach out to them with a smile, a kind word or act, and even a prayer.
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