A Gift in the Basket

 

Thursday, November 25, 2021

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?  What will we drink?  What will we wear?’  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  Matthew 6:31-33

Going to WalMart (or any other store on this planet) is not (as Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music) one of my favorite things.  When it comes to the shopping experience I am fiercely-devoted to the getting-in/getting-out principle.  Elizabeth is not that way so much; she can be slow enough to find a bargain, or a better brand of this or that, even with the grinch at her side.

But even in a trip to “Wally-World” you can be blind-sided with a gift in the basket.  This past Tuesday we headed to the dreaded place with my usual grumpy/testy demeanor reserved for such excursions.  I hurried us through the aisles to get the two items that were the reason for this hunting-gathering foray.  Twelve items later we arrived at the self-checkout area.  (This is the one thing I love about stores these days…a machine you alone operate will never squash your bread or break three eggs in the carton because of my surly attitude.) 

I scanned, bagged, and loaded our assorted necessities in our basket buggy.  And with that we made a start towards the exit…a place where the receipt checkers cast a suspicious eye on everything with a demeanor that makes the place so appealing.  (I sometimes think it would be enjoyable to attempt walking out without paying, just to have a more pleasant experience at, say, the police station, where they sweat you in a back-room for hours under a heat lamp.)

It was when we were leaving the self-checkout station the gift happened.  A little brown arm, attached to a five-year-old in her mom’s basket, reached out and grabbed Elizabeth’s arm.  The other arm found my bride’s hand, and clamped on it.  As we both looked at the little face at the other end of those arms, there was a decided change in my next two days…indeed to this very moment.  That little angel had the most disarming, joyful smile.  She cocked her head to one side, pumped Elizabeth’s hand, and announced:  pleased to meet’cha. 

In a day of forbidden “closeness less than 6-feet in any direction”, and certainly no-touching, the last thing on my mind was hand sanitizer.  You don’t think about that when your grumpy shopping demeanor has melted like a snowman in a microwave.  You don’t think about that when someone has offered their joy with such enthusiasm and unbridled generosity.  It was a God-moment; I knew the Father had to be there, even in WalMart; how else can you explain such surprise and joy?

Later, reflecting on that briefest of encounters, I couldn’t help comparing what I’d just witnessed as a stark contrast to the ugly head of racism in our culture, and the division it causes in God’s Kingdom.  A little joy swelling from the heart of the tiniest African-American child, offered to an older white woman, was the juxtaposition of the cross…a gift in a basket…at Wally World.  It was the very picture of grace, the unmerited favor of one so pure, blessing anyone who gets close enough to the arm grabber.

On a pre-shopping-season note, my reflection included something I will think of often – especially today, Thanksgiving.  I am so truly thankful to have lost the ugliness of racism, bias, sad news, age aches, heart catheterizations, and the blues, in an instant, at WalMart...if only for an instant.  I’m hoping it will be the kind of joy I’ll pass around for the rest of my days here on the earthly journey.

For You Today

Well, it’s Thanksgiving Day; are you grumpy or grateful?  If you have a doubt, let me tell you where to find some Kingdom-seeking blessing, even in a dreaded shopping trip.  Get close to someone you never knew.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

For another post on this text see On Point or Paradox; Illusion of the Heart