A Story

My son works as a Courtesy Clerk at our local Albertson's market.  Tonight while in the parking lot gathering carts, he saw a very dejected looking man with a dog.  Jacob approached the man and asked if he was okay.  The man stated he had hitchhiked here from Long Island, and was in need of money to buy food for his dog.  Jacob only had $1.00 in his wallet, but he gave it to the man.

As Jacob went back into the store, he felt God calling him to help this man.  He purchased a $12.00 bag of dog food, paid using his debit card, and walked outside to give it to the man.  He asked the man if they could pray together, and the man agreed.

A few minutes later one of the store managers approached Jacob and said she thought she saw the homeless man getting into a car parked around back.  Jacob rushed out, just in time to see the man driving by in his newer model, shiny car.  The man stopped and snickered as he drove past Jacob, saying "Maybe this will teach you a lesson."

Jacob told me this story when he got home from work.  Of course as a mother, my heart broke for him.  But even after being made a fool of, he remained strong in his conviction that offering help to a person he believed to be in need was the right thing to do.  He said he was angry at first, but he knew God would deal with the man.

Jacob said the store manager had spoken with him afterward, trying to make him feel better.  He told her about his faith, and why he did what he did. 

I wanted to cry, of course, but I kept it together and told him how proud I was of him and what a "together" kid he was.  I reminded him that we never know what kind of ripple effect our actions will cause.  Perhaps the store manager needed to hear about Jacob's faith.  Perhaps it made a difference in her life, or the life of someone she knows.   Lastly I told him after we are done being angry at this jerk, we need to pray for him.  Jacob laughed and said he knew that.