A Little Tap on the Shoulder

 

“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”

Isaiah 49:16

 

Monday got off to a pretty lousy start. Hrumph. My 7:30 doctor’s appointment didn’t actually happen ‘til more like 8:00 (how can he be that far behind so early in the morning?!). I didn’t like what he discovered, so I was irritated by the time I left his office, and by the time I arrived at Sam’s Club, way later than I had hoped, the morning was looking more dismal by the minute.

I managed to snare a handicapped parking space, unlike the previous Friday morning. (By 9:00 on Friday, every single “blue” space was already occupied; I eventually just left and went home because without being able to park relatively close to the door, it’s just too far for me to walk on these lousy old legs.)

I made it inside the entryway Monday morning only to see the final two remaining riding carts being driven inside by other shoppers.

“Swell,” I muttered. Grumpily.

Sam’s Club is a HUGE store. Gi-normous. And without being able to ride around in an electric cart, I just can’t shop there. The distances are too great for me to cover. I need a cart.

To speed things up a bit so I can get to my point in writing this, let’s just say that after about 15 minutes of waiting painfully I did finally manage to get into a riding cart. The trip was salvaged, and I was able to pick up the Christmas gifts I needed along with a few things for my wife.

I was still irritated and annoyed by the time I rode the cart out to the parking lot and pulled up next to my truck. “I pay a membership fee every year to shop here,” I grumbled. “I should be able to get an electric cart whenever I need one.” (Why I think I’m so special, I have no idea. My father sure didn’t ever instill that notion inside of me.)

I arose from my weary steed and started fishing in my pocket for my truck key.

“May I help you?” a nearby voice said.

I turned around and saw what I would call an elderly gentleman (age is relative, I know … there are people who call ME “elderly” I’m sure). He smiled widely and looked at the purchases piled up in the basket of my cart.

“Oh, I asked, do you need to take the cart inside and use it?” I asked.

“Oh, no,” he answered. “You just looked like you could use some help this morning.”

Wow.

I think I actually did a double-take.

“Well, sure thank you very much,” I finally said. I was embarrassed that even to a casual observer my sour mood was so obvious.

I opened up the passenger door, and this kindly man started plucking things out of my cart, one by one, and passing them over to me. I took each and in turn, stacked them up in the front seat. He smiled the entire time.

It was a small kindness on his part, and even though I could have easily moved everything from the cart’s basket into the truck, he wanted to help. It was obvious to a passer-by that I wasn’t having the best of mornings. And he wanted to do what he could to be a day-brightener.

We finished, he smiled again, said “Have a wonderful day, and Merry Christmas!” and turned to head on his way. I thanked him as he walked to his car.

“Please, God, make me more like him,” I thought, “and less like me.”

The elderly fellow strolled over to a modest vehicle and entered. I noticed the “disabled veteran” license plate. “He understands,” I realized. “He gets it.”

I got in my truck and just sat there a minute. I took off my cap and smacked my forehead. I thought about the gentleman who eased my load and then looked at all the stuff I was able to buy and pay for in cash. What exactly was I complaining about?

Duh!

I am abundantly blessed in ways I can’t even understand. Yet this day, I was grumpy. God provides for me so beautifully and perfectly that I don’t have to worry about a single thing – I just sometimes choose to. And I mumble under my breath about how things aren’t fair. I lack for nothing in my life – seriously – and yet I complain when things don’t go “my” way. Even though in His own time and in His own way, my Lord and Creator takes care of every little thing. Perfectly.

What the heck is wrong with me?

God sent me a kindly, sweet man, just when I needed a firm little tap on the shoulder. Maybe he was an angel, I don’t know. But he snapped me right out of my self-imposed funk and brought me back to a beautiful reality.

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Joshua 1:5

God means it. And every now and then, when you’re feeling like nobody gives a toot about your lousy day and your petty little problems, He might just send somebody to tap you on the shoulder and say, “Hey, you’re not alone. We’ll handle this.”

Meanwhile, I pray that God makes my heart much more like that of the nice guy who pitched in and helped me realize that things really weren’t going too badly after all.

 

Yup. More of that, less of “this,” for sure.

Lesson learned. Again.