Skip to content
  • Home
    • Who We Are
    • The Voices of Homeschooling Today
    • Print Subscription
    • Digital Subscription
    • Gift Subscription
    • Special Offer
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Magazine
      • Print
      • Digital
      • Individual Issues
      • Gift Subscription
    • Activity Guides
    • Apparel
    • Home Decor
      • Canvas
      • Posters
      • Flags
      • Accessories
    Limited Time Offer
    Free Back Issues
    Our Gift to You
    Nearly 100 pages of content!
  • Log in
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
Get encouragement & practical help delivered to your inbox!
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • The Voices of Homeschooling Today
  • Subscribe
    • Print Subscription
    • Digital Subscription
    • Gift Subscription
    • Special Offer
  • Blog
  • Shop
    Magazine
    Print Digital Individual Issues Gift Subscription
    Activity Guides
    Apparel
    Home Decor
    Canvas Posters Flags Accessories
    Limited Time Offer
    Free Back Issues
    Our Gift to You
    Nearly 100 pages of content!
Homeschooling Today Homeschooling Today Homeschooling Today Homeschooling Today
Log in Search Cart

Inbox Me!

Sign up for encouragement in your inbox and get our 30 page 2021 Activity Guide Sampler, FREE!

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
Freebie?

Confirm your age

Are you 18 years old or older?

Come back when you're older

Sorry, the content of this store can't be seen by a younger audience. Come back when you're older.

Access Denied
IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts
Home / Blog / How a Woman at Starbucks Showed Me God’s Kindness
Mar 04, 2020

How a Woman at Starbucks Showed Me God’s Kindness

by Kay Chance
How a Woman at Starbucks Showed Me God’s Kindness

It was one of those mornings, when the one year old is whining nonstop and the four year old keeps asking question after question before I’ve even had a sip of coffee. The baby wants up, I pick him up. Whining ensues… He wants down, I put him down. More whining… Deep breath.

My phone chirps and there is an overdraft notice from our bank. Another deep breath. In all of the to do’s, I miscalculated our funds and neglected to make the deposit in time. So, I strap the kids into their carseats and head to the bank with said deposit. I play something from my phone that I’m hoping will set my mind back on the things I want to be thinking about.

It’s somewhat of a struggle this morning to give up the grumblings in my heart.

Have you ever been there? You know it’s not helpful, and yet, there they are. All the thoughts that keep us from gratitude and peace. So I keep listening to the message streaming from my phone on the fruit of the Spirit while throwing various snacks to the tiny humans in the backseat at red lights.

The Invisible Mom

After our stop at the bank, I remember Starbucks is close by and since I still haven’t had any coffee yet, we head that way. Motherhood can make us feel so invisible at times. We tend to think no one knows the diaper changes and squabble mediating we do. It’s not a glamorous work. Or at least, it doesn’t feel glamorous. It feels messy, tiring and as if you have to constantly put yourself aside, well, because you do.

The closest Starbucks doesn’t have a drive through, so after checking to see if the four year old has shoes on (he does), in we go. The line is a bit long and the more we wait, the more restless the kids become. A woman in front of me smiles sweetly at Jack and he just turns on the charm cooing and smiling right back. “What a sweet boy you have!” She says. Hmmmm, I think.

A Stranger’s Kindness

Once we finally get to the counter with a milk for the littles, I place my order and when I attempt to pay, the employee says it’s been covered. Glancing at the woman who had been in front of us, knowing it had to be her, I thank her. Graciously she says, “You’re welcome. I remember those days. They’re tough.”

And that was it, just a small act of kindness from a mother whose children are now grown. But to me, it was much more than that. It was a nod from the Lord. He saw me. He wanted me to know He was there, cheering me on.

Of course kindness is a fruit of the spirit. It is a fruit that grows from the tree of abiding. We abide with Him, we rest under His shade and soak in His nature. That is where we begin to understand, we love because He first loved us. We show kindness because we have been known His kindness. We extend grace because we recognize He is gracious with us.

Jesus Sees You

So today, maybe you’re the one in need of a reminder of His kindness. Ask Him for one. He might not answer you right away, but you can trust that He will answer. He created us, we’re His kids! He can’t resist our desire for Him. He even made sure to put promises in the Bible so we can always come with the confidence that “If we seek Him, we will find Him.”

You might be reading this and the Lord places it on your heart to be the one who sees someone else. Remember that through you, the person you show kindness to will in turn be touched by the heart of our heavenly Father who is closer than we think.


Ashley Wiggers grew up in the early days of the homeschooling movement. She was taught by her late mother, Debbie Strayer, who was an educator, speaker and the author of numerous homeschooling materials. It was through Debbie’s encouragement and love that Ashley learned the value of being homeschooled.

Currently, Ashley is the Editor-in-Chief of Homeschooling Today magazine, Public Relations Director for Geography Matters and the author of the Profiles from History series. Ashley makes her home in Somerset, KY, with her loving husband, Alex, and their precious sons, Lincoln and Jack.


Share Share on Facebook Tweet Tweet on Twitter Pin it Pin on Pinterest

Back to Blog

You may also like View all

Middle School Language Arts: How to Make it Grossly Fun!
Jun 20, 2022
Middle School Language Arts: How to Make it Grossly Fun!
Family Devotions: A Simple and Effective Way to Spark Faith Conversations
Apr 26, 2022
Family Devotions: A Simple and Effective Way to Spark Faith Conversations
Seasonal Homeschool Ideas: How to Make Learning Fun
Mar 11, 2022
Seasonal Homeschool Ideas: How to Make Learning Fun
Invalid password
Enter

1 Thessalonians 5:24

"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." – NIV

Inbox me!

Get encouragement & practical help delivered right to your inbox!

Customer Support

  • SUBSCRIBER LOGIN
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT US
  • FAQ
  • ORDER STATUS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
Homeschooling Today
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
© 2023 Homeschooling Today | Paradigm Press, LLC | All Rights Reserved
How a Woman at Starbucks Showed Me God’s Kindness