“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”
Colossians 3:12
I was feeling put out; inconvenienced and impatient. You ever feel that way?
Thanks to the criminals who’ve decided to manufacture their own medications, the antihistamines that effectively relieves allergy symptoms is now available ONLY behind the pharmacy counter! So now everyone has to wait in line, show your ID and sign to get the medicine you need! Unfortunately it is a big inconvenience especially when your head has sinus pressure as big as Texas! So I reluctantly got into the dreaded line.
There were two men in line in front of me. The first man, the one taking forever, was probably in his thirties. He turned back to smile apologetically numerous times at the people in line as the clerk took her sweet time trying to get his insurance to go through. I didn't smile back. What in the world was taking so long??
She seemed to know the man, or at least be familiar with him, and made polite conversation while trying multiple magic formulas with her computer keyboard. Finally, she asked for his wife’s social security number. I couldn't believe that he had to call his wife to get the number and after he got it, he kept talking to her, as though we had all day and night to stand there and bore us with his phone conversation. Her social security number didn’t work of course either; so he told the clerk it was okay and that he’d figure something out.
I wanted to do fist pumps in excitement but the clerk insisted on continuing her efforts. Boo! This guy obviously did not have valid insurance or something and needed to get out of the line so the people who had all their information together could check out! (I was screaming this in my head)
The man right in front of me who was second in line, starting swaying and shifting his weight from foot to foot like a chained elephant, possibly with the idea that somebody might notice his obvious distress and open another register. It was right there – a register with nobody on it. Open it already!!! This is why I don't go to Wal-Mart! I found myself rolling my eyes and tapping my foot and I think I might have sighed a few times as well. The guy in front of me nodded in agreement. Nobody seemed to notice or care about our body language.
I was asking myself how long I was willing to stand there when a second clerk appeared behind the second register. Oh thank goodness! She greeted the man first in line and asked how he was doing, totally oblivious to the now really, really long line and the empty register where she clearly ought to be signing in on!! I was trying to tell the guy in front of me to go to her register line but she was making NO moves in opening at all. He hesitated and didn't move. Ugh!
To my dismay and really total astonishment...she continued to chat while the other clerk called the insurance company to get approval. The conversation surprised me. More toe tapping and sighing.
“Hey, where’d your hair go?”
“Well,” he said bashfully, “I didn’t want to have more hair than my wife so I shaved it.”
And right then it was as though time stood still.....I realized both clerks knew this person and he must be quite a frequent customer and even worse...his wife must really be sick. My toe tapping stopped.
As the talk continued I listened eagerly; they discussed the man’s wife, her improvement and the oncologist’s advice. And I wished at that point that I was invisible because if anybody happened to look, they would have seen such shame washing over me. And everyone knows I blush BIG TIME. I felt such guilt and embarrassment. I put my head down when the guy in front of me tried to give me eye contact. I am sure he was feeling horrible as well. I wanted to run and get out of there. I truly hoped no one I knew was in line behind me!
I should have been grateful that I had the twenty minutes to spend standing in a line, or that I can even stand at all, that I had enough money to buy medicine and insurance to pay for it. My whole perspective changed and what I saw before as a incompetent person became a hurting and broken person in my own eyes.
Soon afterward, the lady opened the second register and quickly helped the man in front of me and I found that I was no longer in a big hurry. In fact as it was my turn I smiled at the man still struggling to get approval for drugs costing more than $750 dollars! If I had the money I would of given it to him!
It took no time for me to get home and get comfortable, fed, and medicated for temporary seasonal allergies; but I could not stop thinking about that man and his wife. I wondered if they have children and what their days are like. I thought about the workers at the pharmacy and how kind they were to take the time to talk to someone obviously going through a hard time in their life. How he must of appreciated those words. They didn't appear to be Christians but just really nice people.
How much more should I be to the world around me? God help us to be observant and have a heart of love no matter the circumstance! The next time I’m stuck in a line, I think that I will pray for the people ahead of me.... instead of just praying that they’ll hurry up. Think on that.
Adjust that Crown!
Jonna
