My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom He delights. Proverbs 3:11-12
In July 2026, the above bible verse came to mind when a friend of mine sent me a note.
Listening to the Voice
A couple of weeks ago I went to Lowes to buy bags of blacktop patch for the church. When I went to load the very heavy bags, a young man, I’m guessing around 18 to 20, came to me and said, “Here let me get those for you.” He appeared to be with his grandfather. He loaded them in my cart, and I thanked him.
When I got to the checkout, the young man and his grandfather were ahead of me in line. I thanked him again. His grandfather said his grandson had put a new roof on his house, and they were there buying gutters.
After checking out, I went to my vehicle, and the young man and his grandfather were parked about 50 feet from me, loading their truck. The young man came over and said, “Let me load those for you.” He did, and once again I thanked him. I was very impressed with him, so as he walked back to his truck, I pulled out my wallet to give him a tip. All I had was $100 bills. I thought, “Well I probably do not want to give him a $100 tip,” and got in my car and drove away.
On my way out of the parking lot, a Voice spoke to me, (out loud), It was just as clear as you and I speaking to each other. It said, “Michael, how many $100 bills do you have in your wallet?” I kind of chuckled to myself and thought, I don’t even know how many $100 bills I have in my wallet. The Voice then said, “I guess you wouldn’t miss one then.” I once again chuckled and turned around, only to find the young man and his grandfather had already gone.
It was very unfortunate. I was disappointed in myself because I felt I had an opportunity for that young man to recognize Christ at work in him. I also felt the $100 bill for his act of kindness would have made an impact on him. He would probably have relayed the story to others who in turn would tell the story to others, and who knows how many people that one act of kindness might have connected with?
It bothered me, that I missed this opportunity to share what God has given me. I feel the Holy Spirit puts opportunities in front of us to let Christ be seen to others through the same kindness the young man showed me. I missed a $100 opportunity, but the Father taught me a lesson.
Be virtuous and listen to His voice.
Michael
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.’ Isaiah 30:21
God Provided Me Another Chance to Listen
A few weeks after the above incident, I was given another chance to show God’s appreciation. Four of us went to lunch at a pizza place, where you create your own pizza, like Subway, instructing the attendant what you want starting with the choice of crust and sauce. As you pass by the ingredients, you tell the attendant what to put on it. You pay at the end, and they put it in the oven. It seems like a slow tedious process when there is a long line. It was especially busy this day, but the smiling and pleasant demeanor of the girl behind the counter helped relieve customer impatience. When it came time to pay, the thought came to me to give her a $100 tip, but I dismissed it, because of what the others in the group might think. (I did not want to draw attention to myself.)
As the line thinned, she came to our table to ask how everything was. Two at our table had not yet gotten their pizzas. She apologized and immediately went to find them. She brought them and again apologized for the delay due to the unusually large number of patrons. She came by later as we were about to leave and helped us clear the table. She always had this smile even while under stress. As the four of us left, she thanked us for coming and said she hoped to see us again.
After I got back to work, the power went completely out, (no computer, no lights, no internet, nothing). The voice in my head said, “Go give that girl the $100 tip.” I went back to the pizzeria. It was now empty, except for her and one customer.
I could tell by the look of concern on her face that she did not know what to expect. I approached her and told her that I was in earlier. She asked, “Was everything okay?”
I told her what a wonderful job she did under the circumstances, and how much I appreciated her smile. I had the $100 folded up in my palm and extended my hand and said, “I want you to have this tip,” and I put it in her hand and left. I had just gotten into my car when she came running out in tears. She thanked me. As I was driving away, I had tears in my eyes. I thanked the Holy Spirit for prompting me to go back.
I don’t know if she needed the money, if she appreciated someone recognizing the effort she put in to please everyone, or if our souls were connecting. God knows what and why, and it is enough for us to know that every time we listen, we are blessed and filled with grace.
Michael
Michael heard the voice, but did not respond while in the group, because it would draw attention to him, which was very noble. I wonder how often we hesitate to respond to God’s call, for what we think are good reasons?
In this case we learn that, if God wants something done, He finds a way to get it accomplished, and we might be the only ones that can do it at a particular time, for a specific person.
Clarence