I was standing in the toothpaste aisle of Walmart yesterday afternoon, peacefully comparing prices and trying to decide whether I should get each of the boys a toothbrush that spins (I eventually decided not to, but that's not the point of this story), when I suddenly heard loud voices approaching on my left. Down the main aisle of the store stomped Angry Voice #1, a man, who shouted, "That's the last time you'll ever speak to me like a dog!" And then Angry Voice #2, a woman, who said, just a bit more timidly, "But I didn't..." And then they were gone, their cart half full of groceries pushed haphazardly to the middle of the aisle and abandoned as they, presumably, marched out of the store.
I didn't even see them. The whole thing happened so fast and so unexpectedly that I didn't even jerk my head up to catch a glimpse of who was causing the ruckus. But even as my eyes stayed focused on rows of brightly-colored, kid-friendly toothbrushes, my heart dropped to the floor, and a sick feeling hit my stomach.
And then the thoughts started... Should I have done something? Could I have done something? Why wasn't my reaction time quicker? Why didn't I instantly have the wisdom and boldness to get involved and somehow change the situation? Oh, I wish I could have done something.
Even while all of that spun in my mind, I realized that realistically, if I had immediately stepped into the aisle and said, "Can I help?" the man was enraged enough that he very well might have taken a swing at me. I didn't have a cell phone with me, but if I had instantly turned to the other customer in the toothpaste aisle and said, "Can I borrow your cell phone?" and then called the police, what would I have said? "Ummm...I just heard two people yelling at each other in Walmart, and I'm afraid the man might hurt the woman. But I didn't even see them, so I can't give you any physical description at all." Not tremendously helpful, to say the least.
When I was telling Jeff about it after I got home, he agreed that there was nothing I could have done in that situation. I know he's right, but I don't want to be the kind of person who stands by and does nothing while a crime happens or an accident occurs or people suffer. I want to be the Good Samaritan, not the priest and not the Levite who passed by on the other side of the road. Was there risk for the Good Samaritan in what he did? Absolutely! I used to think about the inconvenience and expense for him; and yes, there were those. But there was also danger. He put himself in harm's way to save the life of a man traditionally considered his enemy. In my own life, how do I balance that with a need to be wise and careful, mindful not only of my own life but the little one within me? In my opinion, an awful lot of unrighteous inaction occurs, all in the name of "being wise." I wish it weren't so.
As I pondered all of this last night while I mopped the bathroom floor and cleaned out the refrigerator and put away groceries and shined my sink, God brought words of comfort to my mind. Praise be to God who knows each sparrow and, likewise, holds each of us in His hand--the fuming, possibly abusive man; the furious, yet fearful woman; and the woman in the toothpaste aisle, quivering in the midst of it and wondering how she could make a difference.
I'm learning to let these split-second situations bring me to prayer, knowing that God is the only one who is able to bring about any kind of change, anyway. Goes against every fiber of my do-something personality... :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we'll meet these people in heaven, someday, and they'll say, "Remember the time you saw the child fall out of the cart in Wal-Mart and you prayed for him, even though I didn't know it? Well, this is what the Lord did..." All for his glory...
I was just catching up on blogs from the past few weeks. So exciting to see that baby growing and all that's going on in your life. Please know that I'm praying for you!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Christie
I think all you could do was pray. If they were both that angry, they may have turned that anger on you.
ReplyDeleteoh friend, i hate those situations. but JDaniel's Mom is right: sometimes all you can do is pray.
ReplyDeleteOh I wish I were more apt to pray when I encounter these situations but instead I fume and I worry! Ugggh.
ReplyDeleteThis post really hits home for me, right now we are doing the marriage study, "Love and Respect" It is AWESOME and I just know these people were in the crazy cycle. I have been able to talk with friends who desperately need help in their marriages, People who react like the couple you encountered in the store. Hurting people! Now I have words that can help. But I don't think I would be brave enough to share them with strangers in that kind of situation.