I was struggling to put the bulky shelving package in my cart when it started slipping away.
A guy jumped in, grabbed the cart, and stabilized everything. Then, without asking, he re-arranged the cart where the shelving unit would fit. He then steadied the cart while I loaded the shelving unit. I was impressed and grateful how quickly that he had jumped in to help me out.
My mind registered that it was second nature for him to help someone in need.
He did not have to think about it.
I said to the kind man that rescued me, “I just needed somebody smart to help me.”
He responded, with a hint of shame and maybe some sadness, “That’s not me.”
Why would a man say that? Who had told him that he wasn't that smart?
Certainly there was more to his story. My brain went into ministry mode. I desired a much longer discussion to try to help him get to the root of that and help him to establish a more healthy identity. Thoughts like that flashed through my mind. What led him to believe that he was not smart?
What is he good at? A part of me longed for an extended conversation to discover who he really was and to reflect that back to him. In one of two seconds, all of those thoughts were running around in my mind.
I did not act on those thoughts.
I simply said, “I’m not sure about that, but I do know that you are very kind and I appreciate that very much.”
We shook hands.
With genuine sincerity and some other positive emotion that I could not clearly discern, he said, “God bless you.”
And then he walked away.
I was immediately overcome with real emotion.
My eyes teared up.
Some important things happened in that brief interaction.
God showed up, through the generous kindness of a fine man, at Lowe’s this afternoon.