My Trip to Woodman’s
3/25/2008
It wasn’t terribly long ago that I decided to head over to Woodman’s (one of our local grocery stores) to make some sorely needed purchases. My short list of groceries included orange juice, ground beef, Oreo cookies, coffee and ice cream.
I quickly headed to the juice section and picked out my usual OJ selection (no pulp, not-from-concentrate) and placed it in my cart. As I was doing so I overheard a young boy and his mom conversing in Spanish near the pudding display.
My next stop was the meat department. When I arrived I picked out just the right sized package of ground sirloin (a key ingredient to yummy grilled burgers), slid it into a plastic sack, and tossed it into the cart. As I wheeled out of the meat area I heard an inquisitive shopper ask a counter employee if he would see better marbling in a “select sirloin steak” or a “choice rib eye steak”. Huh?
On to my next destination, the cookie aisle. I rolled down the long canyon of sugary, sweet, caloric delights and picked up my good ole’ traditional Oreos (no double-stuff for this guy - they’re way too fattening). As I turned to leave, I noticed a family obviously having some sort of discussion, although no sounds were being made. I did note, however, the dexterity with which the children “spoke” sign language to their parents.
Let’s see, next stop, java land. I decided this time to go with an old favorite, Eight O’clock brand. 100% Columbian beans for a rich, full bodied flavor (ok, enough with the commercial already). I popped the 2 lb bag into my cart and headed to my next destination. Interestingly enough, as I began to round the corner at the end of the aisle, I observed a lady heading my way, with a seeing-eye dog by her side. As she negotiated the turn the dog “communicated” the path they would be taking by slowly leading its owner into the aisle.
Last stop – ice cream! In the blink of an eye, a ½ gallon of Blue Bunny Chocolate Fudge Brownie Delight had made its way into my cart, and I was headed off to the checkout aisle. As I was waiting to pay for my selections, I spotted a toddler seated in a neighboring cart, blank expression on his facing, sizing me up with his little eyes. I gave him a smile. He smiled back as I paid for my purchases and went on my way.
By now you might be asking “what’s the point of all this?” The lessons learned by this ordinary grocery shopper that day were many, but the overriding moral of the story was two-fold: 1) there are lots of different ways to communicate, and 2) people can communicate differently than I do and be very effective at it. I probably shouldn’t be all that surprised at this. After all, the Bible is full of occurrences where communication takes place by what most of us would consider as unique or unusual means. Examples include a burning bush (Exodus 3:2), a talking donkey (Numbers 22:28), handwriting on a wall (Daniel 5:5), and through a whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Perhaps my trip to the grocery store was God’s way of communicating with me.
…and I just thought I was going out to get some ice cream.
I quickly headed to the juice section and picked out my usual OJ selection (no pulp, not-from-concentrate) and placed it in my cart. As I was doing so I overheard a young boy and his mom conversing in Spanish near the pudding display.
My next stop was the meat department. When I arrived I picked out just the right sized package of ground sirloin (a key ingredient to yummy grilled burgers), slid it into a plastic sack, and tossed it into the cart. As I wheeled out of the meat area I heard an inquisitive shopper ask a counter employee if he would see better marbling in a “select sirloin steak” or a “choice rib eye steak”. Huh?
On to my next destination, the cookie aisle. I rolled down the long canyon of sugary, sweet, caloric delights and picked up my good ole’ traditional Oreos (no double-stuff for this guy - they’re way too fattening). As I turned to leave, I noticed a family obviously having some sort of discussion, although no sounds were being made. I did note, however, the dexterity with which the children “spoke” sign language to their parents.
Let’s see, next stop, java land. I decided this time to go with an old favorite, Eight O’clock brand. 100% Columbian beans for a rich, full bodied flavor (ok, enough with the commercial already). I popped the 2 lb bag into my cart and headed to my next destination. Interestingly enough, as I began to round the corner at the end of the aisle, I observed a lady heading my way, with a seeing-eye dog by her side. As she negotiated the turn the dog “communicated” the path they would be taking by slowly leading its owner into the aisle.
Last stop – ice cream! In the blink of an eye, a ½ gallon of Blue Bunny Chocolate Fudge Brownie Delight had made its way into my cart, and I was headed off to the checkout aisle. As I was waiting to pay for my selections, I spotted a toddler seated in a neighboring cart, blank expression on his facing, sizing me up with his little eyes. I gave him a smile. He smiled back as I paid for my purchases and went on my way.
By now you might be asking “what’s the point of all this?” The lessons learned by this ordinary grocery shopper that day were many, but the overriding moral of the story was two-fold: 1) there are lots of different ways to communicate, and 2) people can communicate differently than I do and be very effective at it. I probably shouldn’t be all that surprised at this. After all, the Bible is full of occurrences where communication takes place by what most of us would consider as unique or unusual means. Examples include a burning bush (Exodus 3:2), a talking donkey (Numbers 22:28), handwriting on a wall (Daniel 5:5), and through a whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Perhaps my trip to the grocery store was God’s way of communicating with me.
…and I just thought I was going out to get some ice cream.
Youth Ministry “Don'ts”
Youth Ministry “Don'ts”
Youth Ministry “Don'ts”