Recently one of my friends was buying groceries for her family. She was hurrying because she had guests coming for dinner, so she was frustrated when she discovered she had ended up in a slow-moving line. She looked to the front of the line and saw a woman frantically rummaging through her purse; then the checker shouted, "What do you mean, you don't have any money?" My friend's first thought was, Why do I always pick the wrong line? Doesn't she care that I'm in a hurry? Everyone else in the line behind her began complaining.
But then my friend felt God tugging at her heart suggesting that she pay the woman's bill! "But, God," she said. "You know I hate giving up my money. And I don't think my husband will understand. Besides that I…" Then she looked at the woman – at her frazzled demeanor and her shabby clothes – and she imagined the children who might be waiting for the woman at home. Then she thought about all that God had done for her. Smiling, she leaned over to the checker and quietly said, "Can you add my groceries to hers, and I'll pay for it all."
My friend said she felt like she was floating as she drove home, in an unplanned, unscheduled and unpretentious way, she had opened her eyes and extended her hand, and God had blessed her with joy. The opportunities are all around us and God's Spirit is whispering, "Go for it. Do it. Offer compassion." All we have to do is respond.
-- Bill Hybels in Making Life Work: Putting God's Wisdom into Action
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