Been There (10/06/2023)

This past week, while I was in line waiting to pay for my purchases, I overheard the conversation between the cashier and the customer ahead of me. The customer was trying to find enough money for his purchases, but he was 75 cents short. He asked the cashier if he could go to his car to look for change. And he left. As I stood there, my mind was replaying a similar moment in my own past when I needed to choose an item to take off because I didn’t have enough money. When the young man returned, apologizing, he admitted that he hadn’t found enough. I stepped forward, put down a dollar, and simply said, “I’ve been there. This one’s on me.”

He looked at me, not sure what to do. I reassured him. So did the cashier who didn’t care where the money came from, only that there was enough for her drawer to balance. Finally, he thanked me profusely, took the final item and left. The cashier quickly whispered, “That was nice.” I responded, “Honestly, I’ve been there.” And then she checked me out, and I was on my way.

Afterwards, my mind kept going back to that experience, to the young man’s embarrassment, to his gratitude. I thought of my own experience years ago and thanked the LORD for seeing my family through those financially rough times. I had promised the LORD and myself that I would never forget. And I haven’t.

Life’s journey comes with a steep learning curve; there is much we have to learn about navigating this world in such a way that we allow our experiences to inform us. If we prayerfully allow the Spirit to guide us, that information along with grace can conform us into loving beings and transform us into the beings we are called to be from our creation. Life experiences can give us the grist we need to become compassionate and loving individuals if we will seek the path of love rather than resentment.

This past week, I “paid it forward.” I hope that young man one day will do the same when he recognizes the struggles of another and is in the position to help. It’s the little things, stacked up, that will elevate us to a higher plane. It’s recognizing our power within a moment to transform that moment with loving kindness that changes our world incrementally but surely.

As we journey in faith, buoyed by hope, let us insist that our fuel is love. As we look forward to our destination, trying to keep our focus on Him in whose footsteps we follow, let us not forget the rough terrain through which we have already passed. And let us not forget the lessons of those rough patches that the Spirit can use to form us into loving and compassionate companions on the journey.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.