When God Whispers Your Name Chapter 10

Groceries and Grace:

     This Story made its way to me from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from who knows who. Chances are it has suffered through each of the generations--but even if there is only a splinter of fact in what I heard, it's worth retelling.
     Seems a fellow is doing some shopping at a commissary on a military base. Doesn't need much, just some coffee and a loaf of bread. He is standing in line at the checkout stand. Behind him is a woman with a full cart. Her basket overflows with groceries, clothing, and a VCR.
     At his turn he steps up to the register. The clerk invites him to draw a piece of paper out of a fishbowl. " If you pull out the correct slip,then all your groceries are free," the clerk explains.
     " How many ' correct slips' are there?" asks the buyer.
     " Only one."
     The bowl is full so the chances are slim, but the fellow tries anyway, and wouldn't you know it, he gets the winning ticket! What a surprise. But then he realizes he is only buying coffee and bread. What a waste.
     But this fellow is quick. He turns to the lady behind him--the one with the mountain of stuff--and proclaims, " Well, what do you know, Honey? We won! We don't have to pay a penny."
     She stares at him. He winks at her. And somehow she has the wherewithal to play along. She steps beside him. Puts her arm in his and smiles. And for a moment they stand side-by-side, wedded by good fortune. In the parking lot she consummates the temporary union with a kiss and a hug and goes on her way with a grand story to tell her friends.
     I know, I know. What they did was a bit shady. He shouldn't have lied and she shouldn't have pretended. But that taken into account, it's still a nice story.
     A story not too distant from our own. We, too, have been graced with a surprise. Even more than that of the lady. For though her debt was high, she could pay it. We can't begin to pay ours.
      We, like the woman, have been given a gift. Not just at the checkout stand, but at the judgment seat.
     And we, too, have become a bride. Not just for a moment, but for eternity. And not just for groceries, but for the feast.
     Don't we have a grand story to tell our friends?