Everyday Grace

I keep thinking about a simple act of grace I experienced a few months ago at a gas station store.  I had just returned to my neighborhood after taking my sister to the airport at an ungodly hour.  It was now about 6am, the time when you know it's just too late to go home and back to sleep, but you can't imagine going on like this for an entire day.  And so I stopped in to this store just to get a cup of coffee before going home to wake the kids for school and begin the near endless hours until night would fall and I could close my eyes again.

I got my coffee and went to the man behind the bullet-proof divider at the register.  He said, How are you doing?  I said, Eh.  I fumbled with my wallet as I tried to hold my foam coffeecup without spilling.

Then he said, Don't worry about it.  I said, What? No...I have the money, I just gotta get it out of this stupid wallet.   He said, No, this one's on me.  Enjoy.

I left, lifted, with a small shot of energy that caffeine cannot provide.  This is grace.  Unmerited favor, as Christians like to call it.  This gas station cashier did this just because he could, and maybe he wanted to see this tired woman smile.   I also think that God came to earth, as the Gospels report, just because He could, and maybe he wants to see us smile.  Don't you think?  Can't it be as simple as that?

St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel.  If necessary, use words."  If only we would do this more, and argue less.  And blow each other up less....