The Light of Christ

 

Two weeks ago, Al and I were grocery shopping when I noticed a woman entering the store with a Golden Retriever by her side. Al remarked that her dog was wearing a vest, “Leader Dogs for the Blind.”

Our paths crisscrossed several times as we walked up and down the aisles. My curiosity and love for dogs finally got the better of me, so I stopped her in the middle of one aisle and asked about her dog. As it turned out, he was just a puppy—a large one—and was in training!

“This is the thirtieth dog I have trained to be a leader dog,” she said.

            “My goodness!” I replied. “Thirty?” She nodded yes, and we continued talking as we walked along.

“He certainly minds well,” I said, noticing the way he stayed by her side, not tugging at the leash or falling behind. She talked to him in a low voice as they went through the supermarket, encouraging him and giving him a treat every so often.  

At the produce section of the store, I saw them again, and asked her about the organization. She offered to give me literature, saying that they were looking for people to take in puppies and socialize them before turning them over to someone else who would then begin their official training.

When Al and I reached the self-checkout area, there they were again! I smiled and waved, and held back the urge to pat the dog! A clerk with the name tag ‘Rachel’ was overseeing that area. She was grinning from ear to ear.

 After they left, I asked Rachel if she was a dog lover. It was the first time I had spoken with her. In the past, the young employee had always seemed depressed, walking with her head down and seldom interacting with people.

 “I sure am!” she said, pulling out her cell phone and showing me a picture of her dog. “I love my dog, and I love it when dogs come into the store! Someone even brought a cat in a stroller a while back and it didn’t have a leash! It just sat there,” she said.  

Rachel went on to help other customers while we finished checking out and waved good-bye. I was glad to have had the opportunity to meet and converse with such interesting people, one involved with providing a service for people who are visually impaired, and the other helping shoppers!

The next week we were in the same store when our new acquaintance, Rachel, replaced the person who had been in the self-checkout area all morning. She smiled when she saw Al and me, asking how we were! How did she remember us? I wondered

“Do you know?” she said, “Someone came in with a Doberman today! And look at this, a robot!” She showed us a video of a robot that she had taken during her shift on the floor. It was at least 4 feet tall, and not only walked, but ran down the aisle!

“Why would someone bring in a robot?” I wondered.

 “Oh, just to show off!” she replied.

My first impression of Rachel changed after those two encounters! I’m looking forward to seeing her again.

 A friend of ours in Porterville was happy whenever his wife handed him a grocery list and asked him to run to the store! Going out shopping or on an errand meant going on a mission trip—an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with someone!

“Open our eyes, dear Father, to the people around us. Use us to be witnesses of the light of Christ. May we tell others about the gifts of salvation from sin and of eternal life that you so freely offer. Thank you for the privilege of serving you in this way. We love you!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son purifies us from all sin.” 1John 1: 5-8 NIV

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14 NIV