Her cheeks were flushed, and her neck was covered with the red blotches that I knew all too well. Her name tag read Renee – Trainee and I think the reindeer antlers she wore on her head made her feel even more self-conscious as she tried to figure out how to enter no whip on my hot chocolate order.
Oh, Jesus, please help her remember that this is just one day. Bring grace-filled people into her line this afternoon.
The lady in the purple parka with the big hood could have used a cart. Or a counter. Or a shelf. Anything on which she could rest the six or seven boxes she was trying to balance in her arms. But the line at the post office was out the door and we were at the back end of it. The purple parka lady was clearly ready for this day to be over. Her murmurs and her fussing and tear-filled eyes all signaled, Enough already!
Oh, Jesus, please give her the strength to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Bring people into her path that will share her burdens—especially those in her heart.
The little boy with the blonde, curly hair, strapped in the shopping cart with a half-eaten ginger cookie crumbling in his hands Could. Not. Stop. Crying. Perhaps wailing is the better word. His mom was trying everything to calm him down, but he was beyond the calming down point. It was all too much for both of them. Another young mother spoke a few words of encouragement to the weary mama in the check-out line. But her hope of holding it together was losing its grasp.
Oh, Jesus, please give that mama a special dose of patience today. Remind her that she is not defined by well-behaved or past-the-naptime children. Bless her with hugs and kisses when this moment passes.
‘Tis the season…
Lines that seem to go on for days…
Customer service employees who just can’t keep up no matter how hard they try…
Programs and parties and events that require more energy than we really have…
Traffic that snarls and crawls and keeps us from getting to where we want to be when we want to be there…
Oh, Jesus, please remind me that these days, things will take longer. People are tired. We’re trying to do too much too fast.
Please remind me that everybody’s got somethin’.
Show me how to BE Grace. Patience. Compassion.
Let me BE the person someone needs me to be today.
