New Perspective

Yesterday I ran out to pick up a pizza and took Christopher with me. I wasn't feeling all that great, mentally/emotionally. While I was out I ran into Walmart (not my favorite place to be on a Friday afternoon) because we were almost out of milk. I thought it would give me chance to look at booster seats for Riley, too, otherwise I probably would not have set foot in that place.

I walked to the back and looked at seats and didn't really see anything I liked. I started walking toward the milk and thought "well I don't know why I came in here...waste of time." About that time an elderly woman approached. She was walking slowly with one of those walkers with a basket on the front and she took notice of Christopher. He was smiling big as he usually does and she looked like she wanted to stop to interact with him, so I stopped. That happens sometimes when I'm with him...I'm used to it.

She said,"Look at that big smile. Are you going to go to Auburn one day?" I just said, "maybe so." I could see that her eyes were cloudy with cataracts. Then she asked me if I had signed him for a PAC college savings plan. I thought that was a little strange...kind of random. I said that our other kids had savings plans (really only Caeley does) but that we would set him up with one eventually. She said "well sometimes people forget about that or don't even know about it. I just wanted to make sure you knew."

I said thank you and we both started to walk our own ways. Then she stopped and said something I didn't understand, so I backed up and asked her to repeat.

She said,

"I am convinced that every time I do a kindness for someone, I increase His glory." 

She looked at me like she knew I would understand what she meant (I think there are lots of people who wouldn't get that and wouldn't know who the "Him" was). Once it sunk in what she said, I responded, "Oh absolutely...I completely agree."

She smiled and turned around and walked off. I headed to get the milk thinking that whole thing was really random. But I couldn't stop thinking about what she said and I noticed I felt much lighter than when I got there. I decided to go look for her - I didn't know what I would say if I found her - but she was nowhere to be found. I was like, God was she an angel or what - she couldn't move that fast with a walker ;)

Anyway, I got in the car, went to get the pizza, still thinking about what she said. I got in the car and turned the ipod on and Mighty to Save was on - "everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a savior." I started crying and cried all the way home. I'm still not sure why or what happened but I felt like the encounter was a defining moment and a real shift in perspective for me in some way. Something "clicked" inside me through all of it.

 I really don't know how to explain it and it probably sounds like such a benign encounter...guess you had to be there :)

The kindness of the Lord leads to repentance - Romans 2