The Power Of Waiting In Line

No, the store wasn't Target (they are a part of the 21st century and have self-check out, however, I was at the store and took a picture of a store line...for visual continuity. 

A 'Wrong' Moment At the 'Right' Time

Hey Y'all, Hannah here!
As an introvert (verging on hermit), one of the best inventions of the 21st century is ‘self-checkout’. I can go to a store, walk around, get what I went for (and some I didn’t), check out, and never speak to another human, it’s truly fantastic. 9/10 times I will go to self-checkout, yes, even if I have to wait a couple of minutes for it. On a regular day, I really only talk to people while I’m at work, and even that can be minimal sometimes, the rest of the time I am in my car or at home (by myself) and the fact that I can now extend that blessed non-communication in a public place is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.

The other day I was in a store that didn’t have self-checkout *gasp* (I know, what neanderthals), and I was ready to check out, so, like it was the early 2000s, I stood in line. While standing in line, the person ahead of me dropped their glass bottle of pink kombucha and I was inevitably in the splash zone. *SHATTER* I look down and there is glass surrounding me and pink kombucha all on my jeans and the [dirty] white shoes I had just ‘cleaned’. In my head I was just repeating “God bless you and your family, God bless you and your family” towards the customer who dropped the drink. The lady was clearly embarrassed and apologized for getting it on me (as if she had any control of where the liquid specifically went), I assured her it was fine and I stood, frozen, over the glass so that others wouldn’t step on it. All the while in my head thinking, ‘see? This wouldn’t have happened if you just had self-checkout in your dang store!’. The workers of that store were quick to spring into action and go get things to clean up the mess and block off the area. In a flurry of workers and people, the other lady finalized her check out and everything from my basket was transferred to another, less kombucha-y isle. I finally get up to pay and I can tell the poor gal that is the cashier is flustered and frustrated. She asked if I was okay and if I needed a towel or if there was anything she could do for me, I declined on all fronts assuring her I was fine. She went through her customary “did you find everything alright?”, I said yes and chuckled as I blew out a breath, “what a day, eh?”. She gave me a tired smile and sighed, “yeah, been one of those days”. “I’m sorry, off soon?” I asked. “Well, I have closing shift tonight and then have to go study for tests, and just about a million other things to do”, I smile at her and commiserated that I ‘know the feeling’ and cheered that ‘she could do it!’. She finally gave a genuine smile, laughed, and said ‘thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for being so relaxed about this entire situation, we’ve had other spills like this, and well, not all of our customers have similar reactions’. I immediately felt slightly ashamed for the frustration and sass that had been running through my head for most of the situation. We finished up and she had another customer coming, but as I was gathering my bags I said, “Hey, you handled it well! I hope your day is less crazy from here on out and good luck on the tests!”. We met eyes for not more than a moment, but at that moment I saw genuine thanks in her eyes and as she said ‘thank you so much, have a great day!’ something in my brain came on like a light bulb. Yes, if that store had self-checkout, I probably wouldn’t have had to go to my next event with kombucha on my jeans or shoes. Yes, if it had self-checkout I probably would’ve been out of the store faster. Yes, if the store had self-checkout I wouldn’t have had to interact with anyone and everything would’ve been far less ‘complicated’.

Here’s the deal, if it did have self-checkout, I would have never had a chance to be a positive spot in that cashier’s day, and she wouldn’t have had a chance to be that in my day. I would have missed out on a genuine, if brief, interaction and moment for sympathy and encouragement. I would have contentedly gone on my hermit way and missed out on a simple but real and needed moment for both of us. She doesn’t know it, but that cashier reminded me of the importance of going out of my way, even if just a little, to interact with others and potentially share a moment of encouragement and hope, commiseration or a smile. She reminded me that I need to get out of my own way sometimes and be more open to what God is inviting me into, even in the ‘inconvenient’ moments. I haven’t cleaned that pink kombucha off of my white shoes (mostly because I’m lazy and it dried sort of clear), but also because it serves as a reminder for me to step aside (or into a line) and see what God is up to. Now, I am still going to use self-checkout, but maybe just 6/10 times now instead (and for a hermit, that’s sacrifice, man), but that young lady reminded me of something special, the power of waiting in line.

-Hannah

Nothing New Under The Sun

There you are back in high school and it's the night of the school talent show. Of course, anyone performing a dance will be going first and you are one of them. You have spent hours practicing, confident you have perfected the steps and timing you put with the music. Game face on, you are ready! And that's when you hear it, your stomach drops. It's your music...but you're not dancing to it. How can this be!? How could they let two dancers perform the same song? You pull back the curtain with dread and watch the other dancer. After a few minutes of telling yourself that 'everything will be fine' and taking some calming breaths, a slow smile spreads across your face and a glimmer of hope grows that maybe all of your hard work is not lost after all. As you listen and as you watch, you notice the other dancer's timing is different than yours. You notice their movements are portraying something different than what yours will. It is then that you realize that though the background music may be the same, each of your movements and timing are telling a very different story. And your unique story, the timing you have put to your movements; that changes everything!

God designed my heart with a passion to encourage people where they are at and inspire them to grow beyond where they have been. And I am blessed to have a sister who shares that heart (and who can help broaden our audience with her “tech” skills that I have NONE of). For a couple of years now I have felt the Lord prompting me to share my story and my passions with the hope that I can encourage and inspire others. There was only one problem though, me! I could not get the phrase “there is nothing new under the sun” out of my head. Over and over again I would tell myself “your story Beth, the journey you have been on and the things that you find joy in have already been shared so many times before, it's not new, so it's not worth sharing”. It took me months to finally get over this, get my mind and my self out of the way, and let the simple words the Lord kept whispering to me sink in. “It's all about the timing, it's all about the timing”. All throughout history stories of pain, joy, hardships, laughter etc., have been repeated. They can virtually be the same story but the author of the story and the time in which it was shared made all the difference. A word spoken before can have a fresh new impact today and be just as powerful as it was before, if not more so.

It seems so logical right? But how often do we get caught up in not sharing our story, our passions, our joys with others because we don't see the impact and encouragement it might have for someone else? God has designed each of us so uniquely for a reason, but how often do we get stuck in the doubts and fears in our minds instead of what He can do through and in spite each of us?

Imagine the impact we could have if we are willing to let God use our story, in His perfect timing. Imagine if we didn't get caught up in our fears, doubts or worries--if we just breathe and watch God work as we take action and be all He has designed us to be.

With a fresh excitement I am taking the leap to daily remind myself to share my story and trust that God’s timing is far better than I could ever imagine. Will you join me? Let's watch and see what God is up to.

-Beth