From saddness to kindness

At Walmart tonight I was in line to check out. A woman was checking out with her three children. I was spacing out, and noticed her pants were too big, yet too short. She was wearing just a large men's tee-shirt, and had these terrible white Reebok's that are not cute on anyone. Isn't it terrible that this is what I was thinking? Anyways, then she began to pay with a check. I thought that is so archaic, who pays with checks at the grocery store! I was annoyed it was taking so long.

But then the checker hands her check back and says it was denied.

Brutal.

I am thinking she will get out a credit card, but no, she has the kids hand back the groceries. My heart was breaking, I felt spoiled and shallow.

Then the man directly behind her in line tells the cashier to hold the groceries, he would pay. The cashier looked at him like he was crazy, but he didn't flinch, just went running after the woman. He brought her back and paid for the groceries. I wanted to cry. The woman did cry.

I was thinking the same thing but did not act as boldly as this man. I was in admiration of him.

I learned a lot at Walmart tonight,

I need to stop judging others. I need to love freely like the man in line. I need to think less of me and more of others. I am so blessed, how can I share.

I feel so often we are jaded, just like the cashier. We make excuses for our selfishness. The homeless man holding a sign, "couldn't he get a job?" or the women at Walmart who can't afford her groceries "she is probably a crack addict, or can't they get food stamps?"

But what if its false? What if there is no excuse, and we are just called to love them, to help them?

Just food for thought. I had to share this story, at least for this evening it changed me. I hope it will change me forever, and I hope when presented with a situation like this again, I hope I will chose not to judge but to love.