I attend church every week in Tulsa, Ok. Our pastor's sermons every week have an underlying theme about touching one life at a time in some way shape or form! I try and be a humble servant and Pay It Forward as often as I can. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives and rushing around that we fail to see that EVERYWHERE there is someone in need of something!
Last week's sermon was about a tug boat driver coming upon another tug boat on the river. As men will be men, they began to race down the river. They ran out of fuel about 1/2 way but that didn't stop them! They decided to burn their cargo to continue the race! It worked and they WON the race. However, when they got to their destination they no longer had any cargo to deliver. They had burned it all up! In the heat of the moment they had forgotten their real purpose in traveling down the river!
Friday as I was moving my 90 yr old mother to an assisted living home and taking care of my 4 yr old granddaughter and trying to get some pictures of a new listing uploaded I was totally stressed out! I was racing back and forth from the old place to the new place with more loads of stuff, granddaughter in tow and making several trips to Walmart because my camera had jammed and I had to use my son's. Of course, my son's memory stick was full and I couldn't format it until I saved his pictures! Walmart failed to get the new listing pictures on disk which I only realized after I had gotten home . So back to Walmart one more time!
As I was leaving Walmart on my way to mom's old apt I passed a middle age woman walking with quite a few Walmart bags. They appeared heavy. She was actually walking in my direction but I had just passed her along with quite a few other cars. When that sermon popped into my head all my thoughts went to " Are you seriously going to let that woman bear the whole load when it would be so easy to help her? " So I swung around at the end of the block and went back.
The woman had put the bags down in a yard and was just standing there in the hot sun getting her breath and taking a break. I pulled up and asked her if she would like a ride? She was so grateful! As we loaded the groceries in my car she told me that she usually didn't buy so much because the bags were so heavy to carry. She wasn't far away by car but walking with her load it seemed miles away. She profusely thanked me when I dropped her at her apartment.
As I drove away I thanked God for being so blessed to have a car, a profession that allowed me to pay for the car, and I asked that he continue to remind me of my real purpose for being here! I am thankful to have been able to lighten the load for that woman if just for a little while.
Let's all keep our eyes open for those less fortunate than ourselves. The things we take for granted could make a huge difference in someone else's life. Pay It Forward opportunities surround us! We just need to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open and available!
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