How I Almost Missed God at the Pharmacy
I think we can all relate…
My phone is full of notes and reminders and it always seems like I’m trying to fit 10 minutes of to-dos into a five-minute slot. I go in to get the job done and I don’t want anything to stop me… especially not the lady at the counter of the pharmacy. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this. *All over-scheduled people raise your hands…
Here’s today’s story
Not too long ago, I dropped two of my children off at activities and I had a half hour or so to run errands. My younger son needed new inhalers for his asthma, so I went to the pharmacy. I waited in line, glancing repeatedly at my phone to check the time.
When I got to the counter there was no one else behind me. I told the pharmacist what I needed and even though I was in a hurry, for some reason I started to chat with her. We ended up talking about the joys of having four children when we discovered that we both have four kids. Then suddenly, she looked across the counter and asked, “Are you a Christian?”
I said yes and she said, “I knew it. I could just tell.”
This is when God stepped in
She started telling me about her miscarriages and about a lady who was a dear friend, who had taken care of her surviving children and who had recently died. Then the pharmacist shared that she’d had a dream about the lady and that in the dream, the lady had been standing in a green field with her arms around some children. God told her in the dream that the lady was telling her children in heaven about their siblings on earth. God had given her the dream to comfort her.
By this time, we were both in tears and we were holding hands across the counter. She looked at me and said, “I don’t know you. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”
“I guess today, God said, “She just needs a little encouragement.”
I said, “I know why. I had a miscarriage between the births of my two girls. I know exactly how you feel. And I’m so blessed to hear about the wonderful dream God sent you to comfort you.”
She wiped her eyes and smiled and said, “I guess today, God said, “She just needs a little encouragement.”
Don’t be too busy for God…even in a pharmacy
I’m not sure which “she” God meant because it encouraged me too, and I almost missed it.
I get tunnel vision when I’m ticking off my to-dos and I forget that God has put me in this world to minister to others. Every day, all around me are people who are lost and discouraged and worried and hurting. Those people need the savior I’ve got, but how often do I stop to notice, much less ask God who I need to talk to?
Ephesians 5:15 says “So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise, making the best use of your time because the times are evil.” We only have so much time and to use that time wisely. We have to be aware of the needs of the people around us and how God wants to use us in their lives.
A new prayer
Lord, open my eyes to see the needs of those people around me. Don’t let me get so caught up in my own little bubble that I forget that my mission is to bring you to those around me. Keep me sensitive to their needs and your leading. Amen.
