The grocery store provides a lot more than a place to buy food and household needs. I get my workout pushing that buggy (that's Southern for "shopping cart"), especially since the front right wheel is ALWAYS 😉 going wacky. You load that puppy up with bottled water, laundry detergent, and a week's worth of groceries, push it all over the store, unload it onto the belt, reload it into your buggy, push it uphill to your vehicle, load it into the trunk, and unload it again when you get home. THAT is a workout! It totally counts in my book.
But there is another task I accomplish while in the store.
I pray.
Everywhere I look I am reminded of someone I know. There are names on all the products and I think fondly of my friends and family. I have told people before that I thought of them, but what good does that really do? If I'm going to think of someone, I had about as well go ahead and pray for them. There are many people that I know that are not on my prayer list but I would still like to say I have prayed for them. That should be one of the benefits of being my friend. I have decided to pray for folks whenever I am reminded, and the grocery store is full of reminders.
One store has the word "Always" posted throughout the store. That reminds me to pray, too, because Luke 18:1 says that we "ought ALWAYS to pray."
I just went to the store the other day and prayed my way through. Here is the "prayer list" my store provided this time:
Of course, THIS reminded me to pray for my husband...
And I prayed for myself when I saw this--for strength to resist!
You know, everybody needs prayer. And it's ok if we don't understand how it works. I mean why should the Creator of the Universe wait for my plea in order to do something? How many prayers does it take? The Bible gives us answers to many of our questions but the bottom line is that God commands us to pray. We exercise faith when we trust Him and obey.
There is so much I would love to do for people. Some would say that the least I can do is pray for them, but I submit that it is the greatest thing I could do for them.
So from now on, don't just be reminded of someone--🐝be reminded to PRAY for someone.
And don't forget to ALWAYS pray for the last name you see before leaving the store...