“Left Behind” Opportunities

“Left Behind” Opportunities

“When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality”

Romans 12:13 NLT

Awhile back my daughter & I went to Walmart to get a few groceries. We got to the self check out and began scanning our groceries. My daughter had money with her and decided to buy some gum. When I was done checking out and ready to pay, I got my wallet out and immediately panic set in. I couldn’t find my debit card anywhere! Instant alarm arose in me. Ladies, I am sure you know the feeling!

In my panic induced state, my daughter is still going on and on about which pack of gum to buy! I was trying my best not to snap at her, but she was greatly annoying me, and that just seemed to increase the anxiety! It was definitely a chaotic moment. As I was unloading my purse in the middle of Walmart! I finally gave up and ended up paying with a check. So I push the check button on the register and this cashier comes over and informs me that I needed to load all of my groceries back into the cart and go to another register!

Meanwhile, I am still in panic mode, totally absent minded about my debit card being gone. And my daughter, bless her heart, is STILL going on about the pack of gum. She was not being helpful at all! I finally paid for my groceries and my daughter paid for her gum! We finally got to leave Walmart!

When I got out to my van I was trying to retrace my steps in my mind. What had I done with my debit card? And....Sarah is still talking about the pack of gum she bought!!! She was all excited about what a good deal she had got on it!!!! It had been a busy weekend for me with a women’s event. It took up most of the weekend. And I just couldn’t remember where or when I used my debit card last.

As I calmed myself down and really focused my thoughts, I finally remembered where it could be. So I texted my husband and sure enough, He found it tucked in my coat pocket where I had left it. How careless we can become when we get too busy.

But that’s not the end of the story…..

We got home, I had Bryce unload all the groceries. At least I thought I had! I told Sarah to put some of the groceries away. I got side tracked doing something else, so a couple hours later I decided to put the rest of the groceries away. To my panic, once again, half of my groceries I bought were missing!

I asked Bryce if he got all the groceries out of the van, he said he did. But I had to double check, and sure enough there were no groceries in the van. I was missing 2 bags of groceries!! Somehow, someway in the midst of all the chaos of checking out at Walmart, I managed to leave them in the bagging area when I had to move registers.

I called Walmart and explained what happened. They wouldn’t tell me anything over the phone and said i needed to come into the store! So I drove all the way back over to Walmart. I got to the customer service desk and the lady pulls this binder out with a label on it that said “Left Behind”. My heart instantly stopped, I even looked at my husband and pointed it out. In that binder it contained every single item that people had managed to leave behind at the registers. Other people, in their busyness and chaos had done the same thing as me.

But what is the lesson in all of this? What was dropped in my lap by God? We as Christians live busy lives doing “good” things! But in the chaos, we loose focus, become stressed out and forget about things right in front of us. We go about our day going through the motions and somedays even leaving some of those motions out!

But God was not talking to me about my groceries at that moment, he was talking about people! In the chaos of our day what things get left behind? I know in my chaotic trip to Walmart I left a lot of things behind. More than I care to list! But also simple acts were left behind. A simple act of helping someone with their cart, a simple act of letting someone go before me, a simple act of just smiling at someone, etc, my list can go on and on.

But in all of this I felt God saying, “Don't go out among my people and “leave behind” opportunities to be present with them”. Ladies, we cant just go through the motions! When we do, we miss out on opportunities that God has for us! Has God placed someone in your path that needs something that you have to offer? Do people around you need prayer, an encouraging word, an encouraging smile or just a simple act of kindness?

This quote sums it up for me!

“Christ has no body on earth but yours. No hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are they eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out. Yours are the feet which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.” 

St. Teresa of Avila

Ladies, lets not get caught up in our chaos and end up with “Left Behind” Opportunities. Let us go out and be God’s hands and feet…even at Walmart!