it was cold

It was cold last week.  Unseasonably cold.  There was a freeze warning.  It was raining.  I had been at lunch.  I came outside the restaurant to go to my car.  It was cold and windy and rainy.  The twenty feet from the door to the curb was enough cold and wet for me.  I needed to hurry to my car.  I stepped off of the curb into the shopping center driveway.  That is when we met.

You were well far enough back to stop.  You did not want to stop.  I tried to make eye contact, but you avoided me.  I stepped back out of the street so your car driving by would not splash me.  To you, I was no one, but to me, I was someone.  A cold, wet, wanting to get to my car someone.  I was the pedestrian, you were already in the safety of your car.  It would not have hurt you to stop for me to cross the street.  I thought that was what should have happened. 

You went on your way and probably thought nothing of the event.  I waited in the rain for you to drive by.  Then I made my way to my car.  I got in and started it up.  I turned on the wipers and the heater.  I was finally safe from the elements.

What is the moral of this true story?  Poor me.  I had to stand in the rain while someone insisted that their car get to it's destination in a timely manner.  Poor me.  The other moral of this story is that we should never pass the opportunity to put someone else first.  To exercise a little chivalry.  The person that you stop to let cross in front of you just might be someone from church, they may be having a bad week or a bad month.  They may be discouraged.  Don't make them stand in the rain any longer than needed.  Let them find shelter and safety.  Stop your car and let them pass.  A simple act of kindness goes a long way.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.