more than just a granola bar

Lately, I have really been feeling the Lord showing me that He wants me to give more. Give what is still unclear to me at times other than I know that I just need to BE STILL and trust that He will show me in what areas I can do that...and when. Whether it be giving of my time, giving of my money, giving of my gifts, or giving of my listening ear, I just want to be open in all aspects of what He has to say to me in how He wants me to give!

The other day I experienced a moment of giving that seemed so small in comparison to so many other opportunities to give BIG, but in that moment it was such a "happy heart" kind of feeling that it felt bigger than it really was!

I, along with 20+ others was standing in a line at a local consignment sale. It was a long line (to say the least) and we all had been standing there for at least 20 minutes. I could hear there was some commotion going on in the back of the line and so I turned around to see what it was.

Standing there, was a mother of two. One baby strapped to her chest quietly observing and another who was beginning to show the signs of a full on tantrum. You know the kind...where you just want to melt into the floor of embarrassment because it's your child making the scene. I could tell the mom was doing her best to keep her patience, but with every second that passed by the little girl (who I believed to have been 2 or 3 years old) got louder and louder and more persistent about this tantrum she was adamant about having.

The clock ticked by and you could see all the eyes glancing back at this poor mom...a few glares were probably in the midst. I was trying to figure out what I would have done in this situation. I probably would have left the bags and ran...heading straight to the car where I would have cried my eyes out in frustration! But, this mom, was not budging. She was doing the best she could by trying to calm the little girl down and then I overheard the little girl say (or more like yell)..."but I'm so hungry right now!"

A couple more minutes went by and you could see the people around her tense up and start to ask questions to the mom like "what does she need?" That poor mom had a look of HELP ME in her face, but yet didn't know what to say. Then it dawned on me...I had a granola bar in my purse that I had brought with me as a snack (long story short, I had just finished working a 4-hr volunteer shift at the consignment sale). I reached in my purse, pulled out the granola bar and walked over to the mom and gently said, "I don't know if this would hurt or help, but do you think she would want a granola bar?"

It was in that moment that I knew I had done exactly what I should have. This mom looked at me like I had just given her the best gift she could have asked for her. You could just see it in her eyes. She said to me, "Are you sure?" And, I replied, "Of course." And with a thank you from the frazzled mom, I turned around and went back to my place in line.

It took a few minutes for the little girl to comprehend what her mom had in her hand, but another minute later and the room was quiet. You could almost hear everyone around her take a sigh of relief. I didn't need to make it a big production, so I could get "credit" for doing a good deed. I tried my best to do it in quiet (even though I still heard whispers of "that lady gave her a granola bar"). I did it because it was the right thing to do and I had something to give.

As I stood there in line glancing back at the little girl every now and then with a book in her right hand and a granola bar in her left hand, I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of contentment and dare I say...happiness on her tear-stained face. Not only on the little girl's face, but from the mom, as well.

It was such a great feeling to know that I had blessed this mom in the most tiniest of ways, but yet I knew it was in a BIG way for her. I have been there. The tantrums. The embarrassment. The "I don't know what to do right now" kind of thoughts. Not only was I able to give the little girl what she needed (food), but I was able to give the mom what she needed, too (help). For the next 15 minutes I didn't hear one peep out of that girl. Now, I don't know if she started up again after I left the building after checking out (let's say not!), but for the time that I was there, my heart was full. And even as I pulled away from the parking lot and headed home, my heart was full. In fact, 3 days later, it's still full. Full of happiness that I could give something so little to someone. Just imagine how full my heart would be if I give more than just a granola bar. And, I'm choosing to embrace the thought of what that might be...