The other day I was shopping in the grocery store. While I was waiting in line to check out, I noticed that the lady in front of me was in the midst of an awkward conversation with the cashier. She was trying to use a gift card to purchase her food items, but she didn’t have enough available credit on the card to cover her total bill. She was embarrassed, and asked the clerk to put back two of her items in order to reduce her bill…two cases of Mountain Dew.
The two cases of Mountain Dew amounted to a grand total of about $7.00. As I stood there, waiting for her to complete the transaction, I thought to myself, “I should pay for those 2 items and bring them out to her car; after all, it’s only $7.00. This could be a great opportunity to share the Gospel.”
But the more I thought about it, the more I debated on whether or not to do it. As the cashier scanned my items and I watched the lady walk out to her car, I asked myself, “What if she’s insulted? What if she takes my random act of kindness the wrong way? I don’t want to communicate the wrong thing.” So, I hesitated.
By the time I was done with my transaction, and the next person in line was checking out, I decided that I was an idiot for even hesitating, and I absolutely must purchase the two cases of Mountain Dew for her. I just knew in my spirit that it was the right thing to do, as well as a great opportunity to tell a complete stranger about the love of God.
By the time I grabbed the two cases of soft drinks and got back in line to purchase them, it was too late. I watched the lady drive away, and my heart sank with shame. I thought to myself, “I BLEW IT! It was a perfect opportunity to share God’s love, and I BLEW IT! And not only did I blow a great opportunity, but I was disobedient to the prompting of God’s Holy Spirit.”
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever felt led to do something, and either chickened out, or hesitated, which resulted in a missed opportunity? I can honestly say that I try my hardest to obey the prompting of God’s Spirit. There have been many times in my life when I’ve given things away, helped others financially, and done random acts of kindness. God always uses those instances in incredible ways. But this time I failed. I failed to listen to the Holy Spirit; I failed to trust God; I failed to be obedient.
The experience at the grocery store left an indelible mark on me. I’m praying that the next time I feel prompted by God to do something, I will do it; because you never know how He wants to use you to share His love.
Trying Not To Blow It Again,
-Danny