CandaceMeiler.com

“All I need today is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus.”

Last week, on a rainy day, I decided to take advantage of the on-the-go grocery pick up at our local grocery store. I don’t use it often, but I was really crunched for time and I had a new recipe I wanted to make for dinner. The store is so great about getting my order ready earlier than the scheduled time, so I was grateful I would get to pick it up right after work. When I got to the store to pull into the designated parking spaces, they were all full, which was fine. Until I saw a lady walk out of the store with her own groceries and load them in her car. Still, I was thinking she probably just made an honest mistake, so I was trying to be understanding. Until, she pushed her shopping cart up to the on-the-go sign and left it there. The cart return was ten steps away, but she just left it there. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you do this, I love you, but please put your shopping cart away. Or put the item back where you got it in the store. Or throw your trash away. Most of the time, I don’t see the person in the act. I’ll just see a stray shopping cart or the ranch dressing in the chip aisle or the empty soda can sitting on the shelf by the salsa. Anyway, I got my groceries and went on about my business with my judgmental self.

Fast forward to today. It started as a typical, busy Saturday. I woke up at 7:00 and rushed to get ready. I had a lot to do and not a lot of time to get it all done. I had errands to run, three appointments to show our rent house, land to explore, and all of this had to be done by 4:00 so I could leave town for my daughter’s volleyball tournament in Tulsa on Sunday.

First thing on the list was taking our dog, Kona, to the vet for a couple of booster shots and a pedicure. She was an angel for the shots but had to be pinned down for the pedi—and by pedi, I only mean they clipped her nails. I really should get her out more. I dropped Kona off at home and continued my day.

Next on the list was a super-mega-fast shopping trip. Before anything else, I decided to treat myself to a skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks. It’s something I like to do when I’m running around by myself. I sip and savor the hot cup of goodness while I enjoy my time alone running errands. I think any mom (or dad) can relate. Maybe it’s not with coffee. Maybe you like to spend your quiet time reading, journaling, binge watching your favorite show, or taking a nap. I like doing all those things, as well, but when I have to run errands, for me, it’s getting a hot cup of goodness from Starbucks. So, I grabbed my coffee, and I was on my way. Well, grabbed my coffee, visited with a dear friend I ran into, and then I was on my way. I was in a hurry, after all.

If you know me outside of this blog, (which I’m sure you do, because it’s only my second blog and I only post it on Facebook for you all to read) then you probably know my son was recently offered a scholarship to play college football. His signing is scheduled for Monday and I was on the hunt for something purple to wear because that will soon be his new team color. It wasn’t just any purple, though. Purple like the Lakers. Purple like the Vikings. Purple like the crayon in the crayon box. So, I was on a mission. I even went to Hobby Lobby for one specific thing. I walked straight to that section, they didn’t have what I was looking for, and I turned around and walked straight out. No time to lollygag. You get my point.

I arrived at the mall before the stores opened so I joined the mall walkers for a lap or two. I did my best to keep up but got a little cramp in my hip, so I had to slow down! Taylor Swift’s song 22 came to mind, except it was more like I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 42, as the 70 something’s were passing me. Finally, the stores opened, and the purple hunt was on. I searched every store that our mall has to offer—Dillard’s, Penney’s, Kohl’s, Maurice’s, Ross. I even looked at Dunham’s, but I just could not find the right shade of purple. I could see my car from the door of the last store, and I was ready to get out of there. I started to take another sip of my latte. Only I didn’t have it. It was gone. Somewhere along my journey through every single store, I had set it down, and distractedly walked away. I was so frustrated and suddenly, the shopping cart scenario flashed through my mind. I mean, I knew that I didn’t intentionally leave my cup there, but the ‘me’s’ out there who totally judge someone for leaving their trash where it shouldn’t be, they didn’t know that. They didn’t know everything I had going through my mind. They didn’t know I had just driven 260 miles round trip the night before and was gearing up to do it again today, or that I just needed an extra hand to look at a pair of jeans for my husband because he’s training like a mad man for his upcoming marathon and triathlon and he’s lost a lot of weight. All they saw was that some inconsiderate person left their coffee cup on a shelf in Dillard’s for someone else to clean up. Yes. I finally remembered where it was and when I went back to get it, someone had already thrown it away. I went and found the salesperson that had helped me and apologized to her. I assured her it wasn’t intentional. Even though she was probably cussing me for having to clean up my mess, I think she was shocked I had come back at all and she was very nice about it.

Next time you’re aggravated about *insert your pet peeve*, take a step back and think about it for a second. Maybe that ranch dressing is on the chip aisle because a child took it out of the basket when his dad wasn’t looking. Maybe that shopping cart didn’t get returned because a mom had a screaming baby girl that needed to be fed and she just needed to get in the car. And maybe, just maybe, that vanilla latte sitting on the shelf above the men’s jeans in Dillard’s was left by a middle-aged mom just trying to get everything done for everyone and got a little distracted. And maybe you should feel a tiny bit sorry for her because she only got to drink half of it.

Today, God used one of my pet peeves—and my vanilla latte—to teach me a lesson about grace. Grace we so freely give to ourselves but are so hesitant to give to others. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about God, He can use anything, even silly or mundane, to teach us a lesson.

Now, please excuse me while I go put a little Biofreeze on my mall walking injury.

And, yes. I did find a purple shirt.