Making a Difference

I was in a hurry.  I still had a few more errands to run and I left the dog in the  truck. 

Going through the checkout at our local grocery store I saw her. Off to the side, there stood my favourite cashier. Texting. I could have walked right past her, and she wouldn’t have likely noticed. But no, I went over and asked her how she was… “ok”, she said. Stopping me cold in my tracks. You see I too use the the words ok to tell people how I am and for me those words say, I’m lying, I'm not ok… So I turned around and asked her more. 

She shared with me her story. 
She had to change the locks on her doors because her two teenagers are not respecting the house rules and are coming and going at all hours with no thought to anyone. Being gone for days… days at a time without any information as to where they are. And she simply had enough. Tough love she said… 

And I listened, without comment or judgement. Empathizing with this dear sweet sister to the trials she is faced with. I struggled with what to say. 

She thanked me several times for listening. But I asked myself “What can I do in this moment that will make a difference?”  I wanted to encourage her and help in some way, but I really didn’t know what to do or say. So I simply listened. 

After, returning to the truck, I realized I can offer my prayers on her behalf, trusting God to meet her with what she needs. 

People should be our priority despite that fact that there are a million distractions because these are the parts that make up our everyday.  

There’s something about being open to the person God puts in front of us, and putting our own agenda’s aside. 

Did I make a difference in the cashier’s life? Probably not.  But I am glad for the time that I took to spend with her.  I might never know if what I did made a difference in her life, that's not the point, I know the difference it made in mine!

Take Care