True Charity

I saw one of the neatest things yesterday. I was at a store and the checkout lines were really long and seemed to be taking forever. At the checkout in front of me was an aquaintance purchasing a few things. When the cashier told her how much it was she wrote out the check. For some reason her check was denied. The cashier tried it a few more times, and it still came up denied. The lady said that it couldn't be possible because there was $5,000 in her account. I was thinking to myself, "Self: you could pay for their stuff and maybe they could pay you back later." They went off to the side and the cashier apologized for things taking so long and told me that she would have to wait for a manager to come and clear the register. Just then, the man behind me in the line spoke up and asked the cashier just how much the stuff was that the lady had. Yep, you guessed it. A complete stranger paid the $55 or so for their stuff and would not accept a repayment. The guy behind me asked if it was okay if he went in front of me. I said, "Yes," and tears of amazement started in my eyes. I couldn't help but think what a large Christlike love the guy had. He told the people whose stuff he had just paid for to go and have a nice day. He said, "We all fall short every once in a while." The lady gave him a hug and the cashier said in somewhat of amazement and disbelief, "It's not every day you see something like that." Later the aquaintance asked me if I knew the man, but nope, I really didn't. What an amazing guy! He truly made an impact on many people who were there.
6 June 2008