Grace

Last week at the grocery store I experienced grace. I had to go to the store with all three of my children. This is something I try very hard not to do as it usually turns into a stressful situation, and I become frazzled, embarrassed and really not the best version of myself. But I was a few ingredients short, for my planned meal, which at our house is also a grace a planned meal that is. When I got into the store we quickly located the cart with the car which has two steering wheels, alright were in business, I thought. Then I went to put Anna in the seat up front and low and behold the carts with the cars and steering wheels do not have a baby seat. Plus the car carts leave little room for groceries, they are not deep enough to set a mobile baby in and so I thought how am I going to do this? I can't carry Anna through the store; so I do the next best thing, Andrew, the four year old is now in charge of holding Anna in the car. Any of you who know much about Andrew can see the disaster written all over this. I think, "Oh maybe if I hurry this will work." I made it to about the lemons, keep in mind we started in produce, and thought this may not work. Right when I was thinking this I ran into my grocery store angel Jill Benson. Now Jill has three small children of her own close to the ages of my kids. So if anyone was going to understand my dilemma it was Jill.
Jill saw me and said, "Where's your baby?" I point to Andrew and she starts laughing. She then offered to take Anna in her cart, and said she would find me when she was finished with her shopping. When I was done with my shopping she helped me through the checkout line and out to my car with the groceries. She even loaded then into the back. Now that is grace. God usually works through people and it doesn't have to be some grand gesture, or heroic cause to be grace. Jill was heroic to me that afternoon, by her small but very meaningful act of kindness. I hope I would do the same thing if the situation were reversed. Or would I be in too big of a hurry, or to self absorbed to notice the needs of someone else? I hope not.
There is a little snippet from a book I'm reading regarding grace which really hit me. The narrator is talking and her sister were discussing tragic circumstances of of a neighbor family where both the mother and daughter were diagnosed with cancer at the same time. The narrator said,"that family needs grace," to which the sister replied, "No, what that family needs is casseroles," She then proceeded to arrange meals which were brought in every night for one year. The narrator said, "My sister doesn't realize that is grace." Call it what you want, grace, tender mercies, but the power I refer to as God, you may call it what you like, was aware of my needs that day, and helped me in the form of an old family friend. God is everywhere, especially the details. Thank you Jill, for your help and your example.