A SPECIAL GROCERY LIST
Louise Redden, a
poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a
grocery
store.
She approached the
owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he
would let her charge a few groceries.
She softly explained that her
husband was very ill and unable to work, they had
seven children and they needed food.
John Longhouse, the
grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his
store at once.
Visualizing the family needs,
she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the
money just as
soon as I can."
John told her he could not
give her credit, since she did not have a charge
account at his store.
Standing beside the
counter was a customer who overheard the conversation
between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that
he would
stand good for whatever she needed for her family.
The grocer said in a
very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery
list?"
Louise replied, "Yes
sir." "O.K." he said, "put your
grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I
will give
you that amount in
groceries."Louise, hesitated a moment
with a bowed head, then she reached into
her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it.
She then
laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still
bowed.
The eyes of the
grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went
down and stayed down.
The grocer, staring at the
scales, turned slowly to the customer and said
begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."
The customer smiled
and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other
side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put
more and
more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.
The grocer stood
there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper
from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list,
it was a prayer, which said:
"Dear Lord, you know
my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."
The grocer gave her
the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned
silence
Louise thanked him and left
the store.
The other
customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said;
"It was worth every
penny of it .. ."
Only God Knows how much a
prayer
weighs
