I rarely go to Wal-Mart that I don’t come away with a story. I have developed a dislike for the whole Wal-Mart experience. My daughter and my daughter-in-law feel the same way.
Several weeks ago I told our Tuesday night ladies’ Bible class that going to Wal-Mart makes me crazy. Long lines, too few cashiers, shelves not stocked, and cranky employees had really gotten to me. Most of the ladies felt the same way.
On Friday after Christmas, I shopped at a different supermarket. There were a couple of things I really needed, so I decided to visit the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market instead of the bigger store.
I found exactly what I needed and proceeded to the check out. There was only one cashier and the self-check aisles. I’m not a fan of self-check out aisles, so I choice the cashier’s aisle.
As the cashier was ringing up my order, a man walked up behind me with a cart full of groceries. He and the cashier seemed to be acquainted, but not necessarily friends.
The man began to tell her that he would need some help getting his groceries out of the cart. He told her he had recently had heart surgery, and he wasn’t suppose to lift anything.
The cashier asked the man if he had any help at home, and the man told her he did. In fact, the “help” was sitting in the car, but he wouldn’t come in and help the man buy groceries.
When the cashier finished with my order, she told the man she would come unload his cart. Having heard this interesting conversation, I offered to unload the cart for him so she could start ringing up the groceries. I put everything on the counter and then put the bags of groceries into his cart.
When he was ready to pay, I turned back to my groceries, pushed my cart to the door, took my two bags and headed for my car.
When I got in the car, I couldn’t help but laugh. Neither the cashier nor the man thanked me. They didn’t offer one word of appreciation.
I don’t need to be thanked for doing a kind deed. I think that is my responsibility as a Christian. That needs to be a part of our everyday lives. I did, however, wonder about something. I wonder how many of the great number of people Jesus healed, fed, and delivered from demons took time to thank Him.
I wrote recently about the ten lepers and the one leper that returned to thank Jesus. I think that may be representative of the way people reacted to Jesus when He performed one of His miracles.
When Jesus turned the water into wine in John 2 and provided the necessary refreshment for the wedding feast, did the master of the house thank Him?
When He fed 5,000 men in Matthew 14 and the 4,000 in Matthew 15, I wonder if anyone thanked Him for the food as He thanked the Father for providing it.
When He healed the nobleman’s son in Matthew 4, healed Simon’s mother-in-law in Matthew 8, healed the paralytic in Matthew 9, the impotent man later in that same chapter, did anyone say thank you?
Jesus didn’t heal anyone for the purpose of being thanked. He healed to prove He was God’s Son.
Why do we do acts of kindness? First Corinthians 13 has the answer. We do things for others because of love.
The agape love of the New Testament is love without strings. In other words, we do things because we love God and the Christian principles upon which we live, not to be thanked or rewarded.
Paul tells us that unless we do things in love, the things we do are worthless, profit us nothing, and make us without value.
We shouldn’t do any act of kindness seeking recognition, being provoked into doing it, being puffed up, or rejoicing in the misfortune of someone else.
In the judgment, faith and hope will be gone. There will be no more need for either of them. Love will be there. It will be there because God is love.
Sandra Oliver