Gratitude Friday...

Had one of those moments today when I was likely taken complete advantage of.  

On our list of tasks today was grocery shopping.  The kids are good grocery shoppers and since ALDI is a small store, we're in and out in half an hour.  We know most of the cashiers by name and they know us...and the kids...by name too.  

Today was a little weird.  I noticed a woman asking people for something.  All of the people she asked whatever the question was bowed their heads and shook "no" and then scurried away from her.  

Of course, she approached me.  She needed $6 for the bus.  I asked her some questions.  Where did she live?  Where was the bus stop?  Why was she 45 minutes from home?  

She was in our little corner of the world doing her court ordered community service.  The bus would take her to the train station, the train back to her part of the metroplex and then another bus to take her from the train to the nearest stop to her house.  She'd walked a mile from the bus stop to get to the community service.  She'd have to walk another mile back.  And then the walking from the bus stop in her city to her house.  

I didn't have six dollars but I could get the cashiers to give me change.  

She offered to buy me six dollars worth of food with her food stamps.  

I gave her a pat on her arm, smiled and said no thanks.  

She was kind.  She answered every question.  She walked out the door of the grocery store and, hopefully, started walking that mile back up the street to the 7-11.

She very likely could have stolen six dollars from me.  And turned around to do the same thing to any number of gullible folks.  I'll never know.

And it absolutely does not matter.

The exchange was a hot topic for the rest of the shopping trip.  Aubrey Kate did not understand any of it.  Why she needed money.  Why I gave her money.  Why she had to ride a bus.  It was all confusing.

My responses probably didn't clear things up for her.  Because, really, I didn't know much.  

But what I did know was we have and we can share.  Six dollars is big for us.  But not the difference between eating and starving big.  

I've been praying for ways to show Aubrey Kate what living a life of gratitude actually looks like.  I can tell her all the live long day about how much we have and how much other little girls all over the world...or even just in a neighboring city...don't have but it doesn't really hit home.  

Today God provided me the opportunity to live out just a tiny bit of gratitude.  Right out in the open where my daughter could see.  

Whether or not the story she told was the truth, doesn't matter.  What matters is Aubrey Kate got to see someone in need, saw us help her and hear from me the reasons we help.

We help because we have.  We help because we have more than enough.  We help because we love.  We help because Christ commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  

We help because we are grateful.