It was just a typical day in the grocery store parking lot. I was ready to tackle the grocery store which is something I actually enjoy doing. Many people hate grocery shopping, but I absolutely love it. Before I came I had spent some time at home in my office making my meal plan for the week, writing my grocery list, and collecting my digital coupons. I was completely prepared for a stress-free shopping trip (without my kids)!

After pulling down the main aisle I saw a woman getting ready to pull out of her parking spot, so I waited patiently with my turn signal on while she began to back out. As I eased forward to pull into the spot another car darted in front of me from the opposite direction, backed up to straighten out, and took my parking spot!

Now I could have reacted like one of my favorite scenes from a favorite movie…..

If you haven’t seen Kathy Bates in “Fried Green Tomatoes” you really should. Two younger girls pull into the parking spot she is waiting for. She rolls down her window and tells the girls that she was waiting for that parking space in which they reply, “Face it lady, we’re younger and faster.” Instead of moving on to find another spot she decides to floor the gas pedal and rams into the girls’ car repeatedly. The best part of this scene is her response when they scream “What’s the matter with you?” She responds by saying, “Face it girls, I’m older and I have more car insurance.” BEST SCENE EVER!!!

Anyways I decided to not pull a “Towanda” car move, but instead found another spot farther from the door. No big deal right?!

As I was reflecting on this small thing that happened, I kept thinking about how even though I did everything I was supposed to do I still didn’t get rewarded.

I waited patiently for the spot.

I turned on my turn signal to let others know I was going to take the spot.

I gave ample space for the person to back out.

But it still resulted in someone else getting my spot! I had to walk a little farther in the heat of the day. In the words of Stephanie Tanner…. How Rude! But sometimes life is like that. We do all of the right things, but still don’t get the reward.

This reminded me of Matthew 5:10-12,

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.  Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (NLT)

So many times we won’t see the rewards we work so hard for here on Earth. We may never see that the smile we gave someone on the street actually made them feel like their life was worth living. We may never see what happens to the kids we serve in Sunday School. They may go on to share God’s message with others and continue to share God’s love across the globe. We may never see what happens to the people we serve at church that we don’t even know…. it may be their first encounter with what Christ’s hands and feet look like.

But there’s always SOMEDAY! Someday we will be rewarded. Our treasure is in Heaven and God the Father knows when and how we will receive it. We have to continue doing the right thing which is living as Christ taught us and to serve others. We need to be the hands and feet of Christ daily to all we encounter. Even if we don’t see the rewards here on earth, we will see them someday in Heaven!