Giving With Joy

Giving With Joy

"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."

~2 Corinthians 9:7

Water. Funny how you don't notice how important it is until you don't have any. This morning after breakfast, I ran dish water and left the sink full of dishes to soak, then sorted laundry and sat down to read my devotional. My step-son came into the living room and asked if I had noticed that our water pressure was low. I hadn't, but went through the house to check things out. I turned the knob on the kitchen sink and had barely a trickle. Then, suddenly, nothing! I called my parents, who live 2 streets over, to see if it was also off at their house. It was. A few minutes later, I found out from a friends that there had been a break in the main waterline to our town and we'd be without water for at least 8-10 hours.  Great! Just fabulous! (insert hint of sarcasm!) I hadn't bathed, brushed my teeth or bathed the boys, and we had no water. What now?

One thing was for certain...I had to go to the grocery store and get jugs of water. We could at least use that to brush our teeth and wash our hands. As for the toilet, we could melt snow, since we had plenty of it in the yard. I threw on my shoes, trudged out to the car and drove to the store. I was not happy about having to go out in the cold without a shower to get something for which I already pay a monthly bill!

As I was walking across the parking lot, freezing half to death, a little boy about 9 years old ran past me in just his t-shirt, jeans and tennis-shoes. He headed straight to the check-out counter and handed the cashier a handful of change. The elderly lady in line looked down at him and thanked him, with a tear in her eye. He grinned and said "I told you I'd be back. I knew I had the change in my backpack, and you needed it worse than I do." Then he turned and went back out the door. The lady had been short less than a dollar, and was buying milk, bread and eggs. It turns out she didn't know the little boy, but he had been standing near-by, waiting on his mom to finish shopping, and had overheard the lady tell the cashier she'd have to put something back.

After witnessing this, how could I be in a bad mood? I went to the back of the store, picked up two jugs of water for myself, and two for a neighbor that doesn't drive-- surely she'd need water, too!--and paid the cashier who told me the story I just shared with you. Are you smiling? I sure was!

Bring on tomorrow!