Paid in Full
*True story:
She took her dog to a nearby state park for exercise at the end of a long rainy day. On the way home, she ran into Kroger to pick up a few things. The few things turned into a cart full. Since it was nearly closing time, she hurriedly scanned each item and tapped the “pay now” button. As she opened her little crossbody bag to grab a piece of plastic, she found only her cell phone and driver’s license. She discovered she had no Discover, no Visa, no Mastercard, no cash, no checkbook. Nothing. She had no way to pay for her groceries.
What should she do? She asked the nearby attendant if she could run home and get her wallet. He walked away to ask a manager. A woman at the next register offered to pay half—a very generous gesture! But half wouldn’t cut it. The man in line behind her, holding three items, asked what the trouble was, and she frantically explained her predicament. He offered to pay her bill.
“No, no, no! I can’t let you do that. I have never been in this situation. My family always pays. We are the ones who help others. Maybe I should just put everything back and come back tomorrow. Oh, I can’t believe I don’t have my card in here. It’s too much. I can’t let you do that.”
“Ma’am, I’ve got my card right here. Please let me do this for you.”
So, as the story goes, he paid her debt and disappeared into the night. The woman remained dumbfounded. By the time the attendant returned with an answer from the manager, the stranger had solved her problem. As the woman pushed her cart to the parking lot with her bill paid in full, the kindness of a total stranger filled her soul.
The woman then tells me, “As I thought of how grateful I was and so indebted to this stranger, it hit me how much more indebted I am to Jesus for paying my sin debt, which I could never pay–ever! I’m just blown away by the grace of this stranger and by God’s grace towards us.”
*The woman in the story is my Aunt Ellie, my mom’s youngest sister, the one who took me to visit Great Aunt Helen in Detroit a couple of weeks ago. If you know the man who paid my aunt’s bill at the Kroger in Northville, Michigan, please thank him for us.
Have you been on the receiving end of an act of kindness? Please share your story.
July 27, 2023 @ 9:34 pm
It seems here lately I’ve been on the receiving end of many acts of kindness particularly when talking with many of our you-pick customers during this year’s blueberry season.
Sometimes it comes in a tip (which always makes me feel awkward as they did the picking!) Sometimes in kind words of appreciation for our farm and how they really enjoy being there. But most of the time it comes quietly, words unspoken yet apparent to me simply because they took time enough out of their day to visit our farm, and to visit with me. They are an act of kindness
July 28, 2023 @ 3:12 am
Thanks for your comments, Cheryl. You and David and Sweet Velo Blue give to our community way more than you realize and way more than you receive. But maybe that’s because you believe you are on the receiving end. Thanks for all you do.
July 28, 2023 @ 12:00 am
Great story Joy. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. We need more people like the stranger who paid the debt.
July 28, 2023 @ 3:04 am
You are absolutely right, Sherry.