There's a point in time where God has to teach you a lesson. A time when you think that life is going fine but really underneath there's trouble brewing. This happened to me this past Wednesday night.
On my way home from church I stopped at a Walgreens. If you remember my car has a little oil leak problem. Whenever my oil light comes on I have to stop and put oil in my car. The beacon of efficiency I am not. This happened Wed night after church. I stopped to grab some oil and fill up my car.
As I walked into the store there was a couple near the register having intense conversation. I'm not sure why they were so intently talking. The wife was really excited and telling the husband to grab some more of something.
I walked to the back and picked up the oil. By the time I got back up front there was a line 8 people deep. Now ordinarily that's not terrible, but after 7 pm apparently drugstores run a lot like DMVs. IT was taking forever! You know how I get around slow people in line!
I lean out of the line and glance to the front. Guess who's there. Yep, captain eager shopper and her husband. I rolled my eyes and glanced at the counter to see what they got that was taking so long.
What I saw blew my mind. 15 cans of refried beans and 20 bottles of salad dressing.
Really.
Immediately I started laughing on the inside. I don't laugh at people outwardly in public because that's not what Jesus would do. Here's what I was thinking.
"Geez, how many refriend beans does one person need? Perhaps I should pick up some toilet paper for them?"
"Wow, they could bathe in that much salad dressing....that's disturbing."
" What food can you make with beans and salad dressing? These two people are the strangest people I've ever met. I think I will have a hefty laugh at them internally. But not outwardly, that's not what Jesus would do"
I actually let out a little chuckle thinking through these thoughts. Then God dropped a bomb on me. As I got closer to the register, the cashier ringing the couple up looks at the other cashier and says this:
" Did you hear that? These two are buying all of this food to fill a food pantry."
There's a moment when you are so ashamed after you hear something like that. You automatically try to believe that they said something else.
"There buying this food to build a monument to Tom Landry?" That's weird. Or it would have been if the cashier didn't repeat himself.
They are buying this food to fill a food pantry. Ouch.
20 seconds before I was making fun of them. I was making fun of them and they were only thinking about feeding the poor. But it got worse.
The woman continued on..."Our church has a food pantry and at prices like these people can get food for cheaper than going to the food bank."
OUCH.
I hung my head as I paid for my oil and headed past the couple who was still paying. These people were doing EXACTLY what Jesus had asked of us and I was making fun of them in my head.
I was being convicted of my dumbness as I walked to my car. God reminded me that laughter was good but that laughing at the expense of someone serving him was probably not the best way to spend my night.
But in a way that God can only do, He had one more lesson in him.
I lifted the hood of my car and began to poor the oil into the engine. I heard the couple come out and head to their car. As I poured oil into my engine I see a figure coming over. It was the husband of this couple.
"Hey man, you need any help?"
This guy was the real deal. It's amazing the people you run into that inspire you to be a better Christian. These two people are definitely on that list. The crazy thing is that I never got their name.
God used them, salad dressing, and refried beans to teach me a lesson.
A lesson that I hope I don't soon forget.
Jon
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