1st World Moments Missed

It was father's day, after worship and after lunch (@ Skyline of course). Stephanie and I stopped by the grocery to get two small things for dinner that night. We chose a line and o, the line we chose. A father with his two children were in front of us, just about done when he began complaining about the price of the apples. They weren't discounted as he thought they should be, which is what happens when you put 5 apples in the same clear bag but they are 5 different kinds of apples. (men and their shopping habits)

He proceeded to shame the cashier, calling her incompetent. It obviously rattled her. I asked Stephanie if I we should pay the $1.00 difference for him. I'm all for getting the right price but there's a right way to get that right price. This was not that way.

Stephanie looked at me: "1st world problem I think we're dealing with."

How right she was.

The manager came over, straightened everything out and we stepped up with our two small items. "Take a deep breathe," we said to the cashier. She quickly shared that she had a stroke 10 years ago and doesn't do well when people throw numbers at her like he did.

I learned a few things in those moments:

1. I love going through life with my wife. It's awesome when you have someone with whom you agree about the big stuff. It "cost" us a few extra minutes to let him have his tirade. We didn't mind really. It was inconvenient and disturbing but was really nothing in the big picture.

Having just returned from Haiti was definitely helpful to that perspective. It was a privilege to stand in line at a grocery full of food, with the dollars to purchase what we did.

2. Asking a question would have been helpful. Knowing what the cashier's circumstances were shed a whole new light on the situation. It's one of the 7 habits of highly effective people - "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

3. Every moment is a teachable moment. This dad missed it. I've missed my share to be sure. He had a chance to help his kids learn something positive and all they learned was something negative. Chances are they'll treat other people the same way.

"1st World Problem" might be my new phrase for a while. It's one of the most transforming pieces of going to the 3rd world on mission. But we can be On Mission at home too. Every day. Each moment.

How will you be On Mission today?