The 25 Cent Tulips and The Crying Lady

Going to the grocery store is usually a great way to connect with people. I met my friend, Tori, in Kroger last night. We had a lovely visit about the work God has given us to do, the friends for whom we were cooking, our menus, and our lifestyles now that we both live alone.

Tori had tulips in her basket that were beautiful. I commented on them. "They're on sale for 25 cents apiece. You should buy yourself some tulips."

I headed to the flower section and found buckets of tulips in multiple colors. I joined the other ladies selecting flowers and soon had a dozen not-yet-open tulips in my "bouquet bag".

At the checkout counter, a woman stepped into line behind me. She looked like she was about to dissolve into weeping. I watched her blink back tears. She caught me watching her, so I smiled and thought briefly about how to cheer her up. I should have considered my words just a few seconds longer.

This wasn't the most sensible thing I could've said, but I glanced toward my flowers and said what Tori had said. "They're on sale for 25 cents apiece. You should buy yourself some tulips."

She just stared at me, blinked back more tears, then lowered her head and looked away.

I felt terrible. I wished I'd said, "I've cried in the grocery store, too. But Jesus helped me." But I didn't, and the moment slipped away.

I've thought about her and her little basket with the food for one ever since. Wherever that crying lady is this morning, I hope she found The Comforter who will dry her tears.

Jesus would've handled that situation better. He'd have offered living water that will quench her thirst and never run dry. He'd have offered comfort, and healing for her hurt, and hope that, no matter what the problem she faced, He was bigger.

Today, let's look for the one who is hurting. The one blinking back tears. The one who is hopeless. Look for the one who needs Jesus and when you find them, offer them something better than flowers on sale. Offer them the only One who can heal everything they face. Give them Jesus.

"Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's blog: The Kind of Protest I Choose

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The Pep Talk

We had upper respiratory symptoms at our house over the weekend. Ryan's nose was draining like Niagra and my throat was having a super sandpapery day. I, of course, did my Dr. mom best. The first antihistamine knocked Ryan out cold. He was still drowsy the next day. A little leery of my treatment offerings, he accepted a second medication, hoping a multi-system cold preparation would be better. It wasn't. Finally, I tried the old-standby, "triple soothing action" cold lozenges. 

Much to my surprise, I found "a pep talk in every drop".  You can read it for yourself. These multi-purpose cold lozenges offered helpful comments such as:

Tough is your middle name.

Go get it! 

Hi-five yourself!

Don't try harder. Do harder!

Put your game face on!

Dust off and get up!

Be resilient!

Put a little strut in it!

The motivational lozenge messages were interminable. Best by 10 March 2015. After that date, I suppose, strut will be irrelevant and you can change back to your original middle name. In my self-pitying doldrums, I began to reply to the lozenges. My middle name is NOT tough! What we need to go get is more tissues! I don't want to try harder or do harder!  I just want to sit on the couch!On and on. 

Truly, the multi-symptom soothing lozenges did very little for my symptoms, but they did provide brief entertainment.  They were not, however, the comfort I expected in my nasal misery, and left me wondering how the "pep talk" idea got started. Who thought people with a cold or the flu would want to read these "encouraging messages"? Did they think it would help sell more lozenges? It was odd, to say the least, and reminded me of old Job's friends. They, too, were pretty poor comfort when he was down and out. Maybe they meant well, but they didn't quite do well, did they?

In times of trouble and sickness, we want real comfort, real support, not some silly slogans on a lozenge wrapper. How grateful I am that we have a Comforter who is with us in all our troubles and never leaves us, no matter how difficult our situation. As we enter the Advent season, give thanks for the Prince of Peace who not only gave us His peace, but left the Holy Spirit to give us comfort in every trial, every sorrow, and never leave us or forsake us. Now that's comfort we can count on.