My stomach was in knots. I couldn’t stop analyzing a situation most people wouldn’t think twice about. That evening, I had stopped by the store to pick up a few groceries, and I spotted my son’s favorite gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free bread on sale. It was a great deal, so I scooped up four loaves. After checking out, I realized the cashier hadn’t given me the sale price. I went up to the customer service desk to get things figured out. The frazzled woman at the front refunded me even more than I expected. This precious bread was almost free!
As I was driving home, the doubt started. The customer service rep hadn’t called anyone to verify the price, what if I told her the wrong price? What if I had lied to her? What if the sale price I saw wasn’t even for the bread because it had slipped into the wrong place on the shelf? What if I had basically stolen from the store?
If one of my children had walked out of a store with an item they hadn’t purchased, I would march them back into the store and explain to the manager that we had to return something we hadn’t paid for. What should I do?
Bread seems like a little thing, but Jesus said, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” (Luke 16:10 NLT). I want to be faithful. I want to be a role model who is faithful in the small things and the big things to my kids. Deuteronomy 28 promises if we honor God’s commands, to not lie or steal even a loaf of bread, we will be blessed.
Though it was embarrassing, I knew what I had to do. The next morning, I grabbed my receipt and trudged into the store. I checked the bread display. It was still on sale! I hadn’t misread the price or stolen from the store. Happily, I bought four more! Gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free jackpot!
God had blessed me with twice as much. So, I started praying about how to bless someone else. At brunch 15 minutes later, I was sitting next to a woman who wasn’t eating anything. I asked her why and she explained that she was gluten-free and dairy-free. I hopped up from the table, ran to my car, and grabbed a loaf of bread and some pita pockets. In disbelief at God’s provision, she held the pita pocket in her hand, and she whispered to me, “I am egg-free, too.”
If I hadn’t gone back to the store that morning, I would have missed out on a double blessing. Not only was I blessed with the peace that comes from doing the right thing, but the bread was in my car and I had more than enough to bless another person. When God calls us to be faithful in the little stuff, it is because He wants to bless us and use us to bless others.
