One morning as I
was sitting in a women’s meeting at my church, I suddenly became aware that I
had forgotten my driver’s license and my debit card. I don’t know what prompted
this realization, unless it was the fact that my stomach was growling and I was
thinking about what I would get for lunch on my way home. Sometimes our brain
has a funny way of connecting our feelings with the brutal facts. As my stomach
began to growl, my brain had the wherewithal to say, “Fat chance of
eating on the way home. She forgot to bring any money and she’s driving without
a license.” Perhaps this is when I began to fumble through my purse and
realized it was true. I had no way of paying for anything to eat and I had
driven to church without my driver’s license. At that point there was nothing
to do, but pay attention to what was happening on the stage and worry about my
lack of funds and legal permission to drive after the meeting.
Later, as I was driving home, I remembered I had rented a movie from one of
those convenient vending machines they have on every corner now. The movie only cost a
dollar to rent, but I find that I forget to return the movie for days, so the
one dollar movie always ends up costing way more than a dollar. I’m sure that’s
the idea behind renting the movie for only a dollar in the first place, to make
money from suckers like me who cannot remember to return the movie on time. Anyway, I was so happy that I had remembered to return the movie as I was
going to be driving past the movie vending machine on my way home. It was
located right outside the neighborhood grocery store, just down the street from
my home. So I could easily stop by, return the movie within the proper
timeframe and only pay the original dollar for the movie. I was very proud of
myself for remembering, even though it was a very small accomplishment.
I parked my car
just across from the vending machine and happily returned my movie rental. I then decided I should go inside the grocery store and
pick up a few items I needed for the night’s meal. I grabbed a cart and made my way
through the store, picking up various items, meats, veggies, etc. I think I was
even humming to myself because I was having a pretty good day. The morning
meeting at church had been both inspirational and encouraging. It was a great
start to my day.
When I finished
shopping I went up to one of those do-it-yourself-checkout registers where you
scan all the items yourself and then pay. As I was just beginning to sort
through my items, a friendly clerk walked up and said, “May I help you? We’re not busy. Let me
do this for you, ma’am.”
“Okay,” I said.
I just stood back and let her scan away. Then suddenly my brain once again
warned me, “REMINDER! You have no debit card or driver’s license. Oh, and you also have
no checkbook or cash. How do you intend to pay for all the groceries?” Your
brain can be very annoying sometimes. Why didn’t it choose to remind me outside
of the store instead of after the clerk had begun scanning all my items? You
call this a brain?
Suddenly I went
into panic mode. I began to frantically search through my purse for any means
to pay for the groceries, but I came up empty. It’s hard to know what to say at
a moment when you’re purchasing lots of merchandise, and yet, you have absolutely no
way to pay for it. I paused for a moment, and then I just blurted out politely,
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
“Yes?” she
replied, while still scanning the items.
“Um, I regret to inform you that I just discovered I have forgotten my debit card and my
cash. I actually have no money on me to pay for my groceries.” Then I just
smiled a half smile and twisted my face into a look that says, “Please don’t
grab the microphone and announce this to the whole store!”
“Oh, I see,” said the
clerk.
We stood for a
moment and just stared at one another. Those moments always seem to last for an
eternity. She’s wondering what kind of idiot comes into the store to shop with
no money of any kind and I’m also wondering what kind of idiot comes into the
store to shop with no money of any kind?
“So what do you
want to do?” she asked, as she began scanning the items to take them out of the
register.
“Well, I just
live down the street, very close by,” I replied quietly. “I guess I could just
run home and grab my debit card and come back and pay for my groceries. Would
that be okay?”
The woman just
stared at me, blinking her eyes several times. I’m not sure what that meant,
but she seemed to be trying to decide whether I would actually come back to the
store. Then she asked, “Will it take more than fifteen minutes for you to
return?”
I thought that
was a curious question. I didn’t realize there was some sort of deadline for
going home and returning back to the store again. I guess I had crossed a line
now and new rules were in play.
“Yes,” I
replied. “I’m sure I can make it back within fifteen minutes. As I said, I live very
nearby, but why is it important that I return within fifteen minutes?”
“Well, you’ve
got meat in your cart and we’re not allowed to keep the meat out of the freezer
section for more than fifteen minutes,” she explained.
“Oh,” I
answered. I had never heard of this rule before. I have probably driven around
for way more than fifteen minutes, stuck in traffic with meat in my car from
the grocery store and yet, I’m still alive. I guess this was the grocery store
rule that I was now obliged to obey. “Well I assure you I can make it back
within fifteen minutes,” I answered with confidence.
“Okay,” she
said. “I will just hold your cart here until you come back. But if you don’t
return within fifteen minutes, I will have to return your meat to the freezer
section. Then you’ll have to shop for it again when you return.”
“I understand,”
I said, nodding my head. Perish the thought! I didn’t like the idea that they would return my meat
and someone else could actually grab the meat I had so carefully selected
for my meal. This was added pressure for me to make it back in time to keep my
selected meat and to keep it out of the hands of complete strangers. I was up
to the challenge.
I left the store
and jumped into my car. I bolted out of the parking lot like I had been shot
out of a cannon. I felt like the clerk was standing there with my cart holding
a stopwatch. I had to make it back within the allotted time or I would face
disgrace and perhaps never be able to show my face in that store again. The pressure was on!
I raced to my
house, opening the garage door with my remote as soon as I was in range. I left
the car running and dashed into the house, hunting frantically for my license
and my debit card. I found them just where I had left them, sitting on my desk
in my office. I also grabbed some cash, and a credit card, just to be able to
show the clerk I had multiple ways of paying. As I turned to head back to the
store I remembered my puppy, Indy was still in his kennel. He had been in there
while I had gone to my meeting and I knew he was more than ready to go outside.
I dashed upstairs, skipping steps as I went. I opened the door to Indy’s kennel
and commanded him to get downstairs as fast as he could go. Of course, he
looked at me like I was completely crazy, but he complied and he quickly bounded down the
stairs. Obviously, he was totally oblivious to the "Fifteen Minute Rule." I let him outside and dashed back to my
running car. I had no more time to waste. Indy would have to wait until I
returned to feed him and let him back inside. I’m sure he would
understand the “Fifteen Minute Rule” once I explained it to him.
I made it back
to the store with time to spare. I ran up to the same clerk. She was still standing by my cart
and seemed surprised to see me back so soon.
“You made it!”
she said.
“Yes, as I said,
I live very nearby,” I answered. “I have a debit card, a credit card and cash
to pay with. Did you have to return my meat to the freezer?”
“No,” she said
with a smile. “You made it back within the fifteen minutes. So your meat is
safe.”
As she began
scanning the items again I caught my breath and felt relief that I would be
taking home the meat I originally selected. I had made it within the allotted
time. I was very proud, even though, once again, it was a very small
accomplishment.
I proudly paid
for my groceries and slowly pushed my cart out to the car. The drive home was
much more relaxed this time around. There, in the quiet of my car, I started thinking about how much pressure
we sometimes bring on ourselves by our own actions or lack of actions. It was
my fault that I didn’t have a way to pay for my groceries and my fault for not
remembering that I didn’t have a way to pay. It was also my fault that I
decided I had to make it back within the fifteen allotted minutes. So what if
they had returned my meat to the freezer and I had to go and pick it out again?
Would that have been the end of the world? I would have had to go through the agony of re-selecting my meat. Was that really as bad as all that? Of course not.
Often we create
confusion, chaos and stress in our lives just by being careless, thoughtless or
just not using wisdom. We heap pressure on ourselves by getting so busy we
don’t even know what we have and what we don’t have. In addition, we take on
all the extra little rules that others throw at us, even when we know we don’t
have to. We don’t think things through. We just react. “Fifteen minutes? I have
to return in fifteen minutes?” We heap one pressure on top of another pressure
until we end up exploding, usually on those closest to us.
Don’t let life
make you jump through unnecessary loopholes. Stop and think. Is it really worth
the stress? If I don’t make this deadline, will it be the end of the world?
Often there are real deadlines we miss because we’re trying to meet unrealistic
deadlines we’ve placed on ourselves. Why do we do this to ourselves? Life is
busy enough without the added stress and pressure of trying to meet everyone’s
expectations and rules.
“So don’t put up
with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days.
All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance
is Christ.” Colossians 2:16-17 (MSG)
Don’t be
pressured by others. Others will try to sidetrack you with their rules,
deadlines or agendas, but stay focused on what is important. The substance is
Christ.
