Let the Christ in You Find the Christ in Others
This sign hangs outside the Everest Academy in Clarkston, Michigan where my four children go to school. I was thinking about that sign this morning as I was pondering my Christian walk over the last few days.
An encounter in the grocery store line kept playing over in my mind, so I decided to write about it.
The store was fairly busy. As is a common situation these days, only a few check-out clerks were at their stations, and the lines were growing. I approached with my very full basket and saw there were two express lines operating and only one line for those of us with more than 15 items.
I knew I was in dangerous waters for losing my patience because I had done this exact shopping trip the day before. After gathering all my items and approaching the checkout, I discovered my oldest daughter had removed my credit card from my wallet so she could put gas in the car and failed to return it. Needless to say, I was not able to accomplish my task that day. But I needed to do so today or my kids would feel a lot like Mother Hubbard’s canine tonight.
I prepared myself to be patient, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job. I watched the clerk try her hardest to help the older woman at the front of the line haggling over what price had come up on the scanner. As I was starting to unload my items on the belt, I offered to allow two customers with fewer items behind me (I had a really full cart) to go around me. Both appreciated the gesture, but then saw the express lanes were open and quickly moved over.
Eventually I was able to unload all my items on the cart and reach the clerk. I remember thinking how pleasant she tried to be with the customers – so many clerks do not bother to be nice these days.
Then another woman got in line behind me in line. She was tall and dressed professionally. Apparently she had taken her few items to an express line, but the clerk had closed her line.
She said very loudly, “This is the worst Kroger I have ever been too.” No one reacted, so she said it again just as loudly.
The clerk remarked they were doing the best they could.
I thought about whether I should say anything. Eventually I did say I thought they did a pretty good job at this store.
“Well I’ve shopped at lots of Kroger stores, and this is the worst I’ve ever been to,” she said.
I commented on how the larger store had closed in our area and that we didn’t have many groceries in Bloomfield anymore.
“You should live in Detroit.”
I said I used to work there for a few years.
“Worked – You worked there.”
I commented how it was a shame that Detroit didn’t have more places for people to shop.
The clerk finished ringing up my groceries and the bagger loaded my items in the cart. I thanked them both and left the store.
As I approached my car I thought about what had just happened. I thought how all of us in that store, and everywhere for that matter, were human beings with essentially the same wants and needs. We had a lot more in common than most of us usually realize. I wondered what type of impression I had left that day, and I thanked the Holy Spirit for giving me patience.
