I had a very moving experience last night. It was so simple, but it left a big impact on me and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm now on my plane bound for L.A. and last night was spent taking care of final preparations, including getting my hair done. After my appointment, I picked up my kids and headed home, only to stop at a gas station along the way for a snack (healthy, I know, but since we're all going to be out of town for the coming days, my cupboards are pretty bare!) As I stood in line to pay, an elderly woman came in from pumping her gas and she asked the attendant for her nickel back... she had pre-paid for $1.55 in gas but the attendant mistakenly set the pump for $1.50 and she needed that $.05 back. I felt sad for her... it was cold out, she was bundled up, and obviously didn't have much money since she was only getting $1.50 in gas. These days, that much gas won't get you very far. Even though I felt sad for her, I didn't act... I paid for my things and left.
I drove past that woman, now sitting in her old, battered car at the gas pump, on my way out of the parking lot. As I turned onto the main street, only 1/2 mile from my house, I remembered this blog post. I first read that post a couple of weeks ago, and having school age children myself, it really hit home. As I continued to drive, this line from the blog came to my mind...
That heart ache is called compassion, and it is God’s signal to you to do something. It is God saying, Chase! Wake up! One of my babies is hurting! Do something to help! Whenever you feel compassion – be thrilled! It means God is speaking to you, and that is magic. It means He trusts you and needs you.
In that moment, I knew that God put me at the gas station at this very moment because one of His babies was hurting and He needed to me to help. I quickly turned my car around and drove back into the gas station where the woman was still sitting in her car at the pump. I drove up to her and told her that I noticed she didn't get very much gas and it wouldn't get her very far, so I offered her the remaining cash that I had in my wallet. It wasn't much, but it was something. She didn't want to take it at first, I'm sure she was slightly embarrassed, but I insisted. I handed her the money and her response couldn't have been more fitting: "God bless you," she said. I knew that God put me there in that moment to help her, so the fact that she mentioned God warmed me inside.
I haven't stopped thinking about this woman since last night. I hope she had a safe, warm place to go to and had enough food to eat. It breaks my heart that anyone, especially an elderly woman, has to struggle for the basic necessities in life.
If any of you find yourself in a similar situation, I urge you to help. Just like the blog post that I linked above says, when you feel compassion, that's a call for you to act and help someone. You don't have to believe in God or welcome Him into your everyday lives to be compassionate. It would have been just as easy for me to judge that woman last night and continue on my way home... instead, I listened to my feeling of compassion and recognized that as an opportunity to help.
I certainly hope that my act of kindness helped that woman but in reality, she was the one that helped me. She taught me such a lesson during our encounter and I will forever be grateful.
Choose kindness, choose love, and listen to compassion when you feel it.
