A few days ago I was coming out of Costco and saw a woman near her car, clearly distraught as if she were looking for something. It was a cold, rainy afternoon and the parking lot was especially busy as people walked to and from their cars. I usually have a full cart coming out, but this particular afternoon I had just run in to pick up some pictures. As I quickly got into my car, I noticed the woman lying on the cold, wet ground behind her car. The groceries in her cart were now fully soaked. I pulled my car up next to her, hopped out to ask if there was something I could help with. She was shaking, crying and replied “I locked my keys in my car… my husband put this spare key underneath…I got the box with the key… now I cannot get the box opened.” I put out my hand and asked for a try. It took a few minutes to maneuver the box and get the key free. As I worked on opening the box, she said, “Have you ever had one of those days, where everything goes wrong?” Today was that kind of day for her. I assured her that yes, we all have those kind of days and that I hoped her day got better. She grabbed my hand and said, “It already has, thank you for stopping to help.”
Later that evening I shared this story with my boys. Not because I felt proud of what I had done, actually it was the opposite. See, I had just returned home from a week long mission trip and my mind and heart had not yet returned to the busy, chaotic life I live and I was able to put my schedule on hold for a moment. I told the story to my boys because I almost missed the opportunity to help. When I returned to my car, I thanked God for putting me in that exact moment and that He showed me whom to serve that afternoon. The point I wanted my children to understand was not about what I had done that afternoon, but to understand what I am about to share with you. As I sat in my car and watched this woman on the ground, clearly in distress over her situation, I saw at least a dozen people walk and drive by her. I did not want to get out of my car on a cold, rainy day either and because of that I almost missed the opportunity to help. This story opened up a great conversation about the different opportunities God gives each day to serve and love those in our daily lives. We decided to call these God’portunities! Have you had any God’portunities this week? Our family would love to hear about them.
