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.