‘Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the mall,
Shoppers with gift cards were having a ball.
I was among them, reveling in one of my favorite activities: bargain hunting. There’s something exhilarating about combing through a rack of clothing, which everyone else has passed by, and finding a gem. Marked down. At least twice.
Ruth of the Old Testament gleaned Boaz’ fields (Ruth 2:2-3); I glean sales racks.
Field of Boaz (Photo credit: Seetheholyland.net)
This particular December 26 while browsing in Macy’s, a true treasure emerged from the rejects: a lined, flowing silk skirt, black, with vertical stripes of rust and taupe. Down each stripe ran a subtle pattern of flowers.
Such an elegant, versatile skirt would be a great addition to my wardrobe, I thought. Warily I searched for the tag. Although tucked among the clearance merchandise, it still might cost too much. There was no tag.
So I headed to the nearest cashier counter for a price check.
Now if you’ve ever shopped on December 26, you know the importance of taking plenty of patience with you. It’s probably the second busiest shopping day of the whole year, right behind Black Friday. Long lines at the cash register are just part of the process.
in line (Photo credit: iowa_spirit_walker)
Imagine my delight to see only two people at the counter.
Customer #1 didn’t take very long at all. Fantastic.
Customer #2 was returning merchandise that she had received as a gift. And although it was from Macy’s, her gift came from out-of-state. This particular store didn’t carry that pant-and-sweater set. Now what? The cashier didn’t know.
The manager was called. Wait. Wait. Wait.
She didn’t know what to do either.
I scanned the surrounding area, looking for another counter where I might get waited on sooner. They were backed up, too. Might as well stay put.
Phone calls ensued. Wait. Wait. Wait.
Finally, someone at the other end of the line knew what to do and explained the steps to follow. Wait. Wait. Wait.
Of course, the steps were not easy to follow. A few missteps occurred. Wait. Wait. Wait.
At long last, the customer left with a receipt. To her credit, she apologized for taking so long. I said something like, “These things happen. Can’t be helped.” I even smiled. After all, it wasn’t her fault.
To the credit of Ms. S. P. (Sales Person), she, too, apologized for the delay, and cheerfully asked how she could help me.
“I might want to buy this skirt, but there’s no tag.”
She looked it over, but Miss S.P. didn’t find a tag either.
“Tell you what,” she said. “Since you were so nice about the situation with the last customer, I’ll just ring it up with this.” She pulled over another skirt, sitting in a fluff on the end of the counter. The price? Under $7.00.
“I’ll take it!” I cried, and whispered a prayer of gratitude to God. That super-bargain skirt seemed like a gift from him, almost a reward for my patience.
God has said, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10).
Does that mean God rewards every good deed with a gracious blessing? No, I’d become a very spoiled daughter of the King if he did that. In addition, any good deeds I might undertake would be generated by wrong motives.
And please, don’t pat me on the back either. I’m not confrontational by nature anyway. It wasn’t that hard to wait, smile, express understanding, and be patient.
But. Blessings like that skirt come just often enough to remind us:
He’s watching.
He’s appreciating.
There are even moments He’s smiling, because of the choices we make.
The satisfaction in those realities is a glorious blessing in itself.
From the Inside Out 
I too am a bargain shopper, Nancy! Unfortunately I think sometimes we glean God’s blessings in our lives simply because we aren’t looking. When actually we just don’t recognize all the blessings He sends. I love when I do recognize moments like your shopping experience!
Thank you, Tresa. Indeed, it would seem God loves to surprise us now and then. I want to pay attention and not miss a single one!
So, Nancy. Where is a picture of that wonderful skirt!
You are so right–a picture of the skirt would be an appropriate addition to this post. As soon as I figure out how to use Steve’s camera (my antique cell phone doesn’t allow me to upload pictures to my computer), how to upload those pics to my computer, and then how to transfer them to the blog, THEN I’ll post a picture of the skirt! (Can you guess that technology is not one of my gifts?!)
Nancy this story reminded me of my dear christian friend Lea who shops at thrift stores and sales at Macy’s, etc. She always look lovely and most her clothes are from thrift stores, she loves our Trifth Store at Church. I forwarded the email to her. She always reminds me of the blessings she receives from all her bargains, always thanking God.
Indeed, expressing our gratitude to God adds to the joy. Gratitude ushers us into his presence, and in his presence is FULLNESS of joy (Psa. 16:11)! Thank you for sharing the story of your friend!
Okay. I’ll wait to see you wearing the skirt to church!! You are correct. Patience pays off so many times, if even in the smile of the one you’ve been patient with.
You’re right–smiles and kind words do a world of good. They’re joy-starters on their own, aren’t they. Thank you for sharing your insight, Grace!
And sometimes God gives us things just because He wants to bless us…………:-) I’ll bet that’s a beautiful skirt.
Oh, yes, Jody. Every day is filled with his blessings. Even as I sit here, I’m enjoying his gifts of quiet, coffee (!), and chirping birds hopping about in the trees. God’s goodness and mercy do indeed follow us every day–through blissful days and through the stress-filled days as well.
What a wonderful story about patience and being kind and gentle to others. Thank you for this delightful post! And congrats on your spectacular bargain!! It was, indeed, a blessing 🙂
Thank you, Coffee Diva! So glad you found the post delightful.
Great story Nancy. You were very gracious and patient with both people and the situation. Reflecting God!
Thank you, Jean–you’re very kind!
My friend, Micki, emailed this story to me. She gave me permission to share. It’s another example of God’s gracious benevolence:
“Remember my story about Kathy’s two winter coats for $15? She had given hers away before leaving TN to move to PA, before she knew they would be moving. Mike was starting a new job and they had no money at all. It was October. She’d never shopped at a thrift store before but I was wanting to go into Goodwill so she reluctantly followed me. Not only did she find two wool, fully-lined coats – one red and one royal blue (her two favorite colors) and one full length and one car coat length but they were marked $15 each. She could only afford one but she took them to the counter anyway to double check the price. They were all on half price that day so she got them BOTH for $15. All because she’d given hers away and God was smiling over it.”
Don’t you love it?
I truly loved this post, Nancy. And I’m anxious to see a picture of this beautiful skirt. The way you were ‘rewarded’ for your patience is so neat! God cares about EVERYTHING in our lives, even the trivial! And, to make this picture even bigger…the delay that you experienced in purchasing this skirt may have saved you from being in an accident (had you decided to just leave) or something… The Lord engineers many circumstances in our lives unseen by us and for multiple reasons. Loved this post.
Yes, it will surely be interesting, when we get to heaven, to learn about those times God intervened for us, and we didn’t even know! Now about that picture…I know, I know. Gotta add that skill to my repertoire!