My husband, our two children, and I have been especially busy the last two weeks attending evangelism seminars and ministerial meetings. We learned many new things and were greatly inspired to share the good news of Jesus Christ to those around us. When we came home after the long trip, I was anxious to get things back in order. I did some loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, and paid some bills. After that I went grocery shopping at Lucky’s with our two-year-old son, Timothy. Every time I go to the store, I have to go quickly because I leave our six-month baby home with my husband and my husband cannot get much work done when the baby is around.
After picking up the groceries that I needed, I headed toward the checkout line. As I waited in line and put my selected items on the checkout counter, there was a delay with the person in front of me. On this particular occasion, a check could not be cashed, causing a malfunction in the cash register.
A delay in the checkout line is not something new. Sometimes a price has to be checked sending a person running back to the aisles, an item needs to be voided by a manager, the register does not have enough change for a social security check, not enough checkstands are open, and so on. This time because of the broken register, I had to put all the food back in the basket and get in a different line. One lady behind me was angrily complaining to a manager that she had to wait five whole minutes.
As I patiently waited, I started to think of different people’s behavior at checkstand lines. Some people try to rush and cut in front of others to get in line first. Some people start ranting and raving on how long they have to wait. I realize everyone is busy, but the waiting time is usually just a few minutes. Besides, many apparent delays cannot be avoided and are not the employee’s fault. If I started getting impatient, what would it accomplish? If the cash register is broken, getting angry would certainly not fix it. A short temper would not only cause stress to me but to those around me as well, including my son. Once a tight-lipped, brow-crossed lady tried to push her way forward in front of my mom. My mother simply stopped and let her go ahead. The lady’s whole appearance changed with embarrassment.
When I thought about the meetings I just attended, what kind of a Christian witness would I be if I cannot even be courteous and patient at a grocery checkout line? My little grocery shopping experience reminded me that whereever I go or whatever I do, I should be a good example. In I Timothy 4:12 it says, “…be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” Let us all be good witnesses for Christ and be kind and courteous.
Ly Lan Nguyen
