Shopping Carts

One of the televangelists I watch tells the story about how putting shopping carts in the cart corral was a big step. I’d like to go a step farther. Take ‘em back to the store. I used to get royally ticked at folks who simply leave that cart in the middle of the parking lot. Some people even go as far as sticking them together as if the carts were in the queue in the store. They go to some effort to do that. At times I find one (more?) put up on one of the islands. I thought to myself, “Seriously? Don’t you morons realize how much easier it would be to just PUT THE STUPID THING AWAY?” I mean, really. It takes a bit of strength and effort to lift up one end of the cart, push it up there, then lift the other end to get IT up there. The cart corral is only about a dozen steps away. Grumbling one day to myself, I grabbed a cart and shoved it into the cart corral and stomped off toward the store. A voice in my head said, “Hey. You’re going into the store anyway, why didn’t YOU just bring it back to where someone else could use it?” That’s a perfect facepalm moment. So when I see a cart standing all alone “over there,” I take the time and walk the extra three steps to grab it and push it into the store. I’m going there anyway. I’m going to need a cart, so why not use “that” cart? In fact, if there’s three carts, I’m perfectly capable to taking all three into the store. What does that have to do with God? Simple. If you see something that irritates you, chances are it’s something you feel strongly about. If you’re able, fix it. In the case of a shopping cart, how hard is it to take one of them into the store? Where it’s sitting is blocking at least one parking space, and making someone have to walk further to get to the store. So fixing the problem does a number of things: I’m not grumbling. It’s one less cart for the cart cowboys to round up. Parking is easier for at least one shopper. There are more, but those are the highlights. Again, where’s God? It’s incremental. God said to feed His sheep. “Well, I can’t feed all the hungry, so why bother?” You only have to do what you CAN do. BE the example for others to follow. Help one hungry person find something to eat, and others will eventually help support that effort. There’s no need to start a government program to do this. GOD said, “Feed My sheep.” So do it. There is benefit for everyone involved. There’s a grocery chain where I live where you have to plug a quarter into a shopping cart to get it free from the stack at the door of the facility. You want your quarter back, you return the cart. They don’t have a problem with shopping carts scattered through their lot. For a quarter, people return the carts. A QUARTER! Simple things like returning a shopping cart to get a quarter back is the example of little things stacking up into something significant. One person feeding one hungry person will do the same thing. In my adult Sunday school I used the example of “Feed My sheep.” I said, “God didn’t say, ‘Feed My sheep and hand out a gospel tracts.’” Do something because you love God, not because of the reward you’ll get. Even if you’re expecting to produce the “fruit” the Bible talks about, your motivation is wrong. If you love God, you’ll produce fruit. It’s as simple as that. If you drive differently because there’s a cop following you, you already know you’re driving wrong. If you feed His sheep because you fear Hell, you’re doing THAT wrong. Those who love God will naturally feed His sheep. They can’t help it. Everyone is gifted in a different way, but it all boils down to, “If you love Me, feed My sheep.”