The Drive Through...

The holidays are different for me this year. After this summer, I can't get out of my head how much we as American have compared to so many others around the world. I saw Thanksgiving in a whole new light this year as I thought about what some of my Mozambican friends would have given to feed their families that meal. Then there was Black Friday... I don't know if I could use the word 'angery' to describe how I felt, but thinking of the mobs of people who would stand in line or camp in tents in a freezing cold parking lot just to buy a new TV seemed ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I see nothing shameful in a finding a good deal or spending money.. but hearing the stories of angry shoppers driven by selfish materialism, stampeding and killing people just so they can get an ipod or whatever else it is they think will satisfy them, makes me sick. Anyway, with that being said, I was just feeling a little disgusted over how delusional and selfish all of it seemed.

Then I heard a story that made me smile. My Aunt, with her daughters and sisters, likes going shopping on Black Friday each year. They have a tradition of going to Burger King that morning, and for some reason they always wear those BK crowns you can get while they eat....lol. This year they were sitting by a window and amusing themselves by waving at the people going through the drive through (if you knew my relatives and how hilarious they are, you would understand).. They weren't getting much of a response from people so the decided that the next person to go through and acknowledge them by waving back, they were going to pay for their food. So, a couple pulls up and sees them, smiles, and waves, so my aunt runs to the counter and tells the employee that they wanted to cover the cost of the couple's food that had just pulled up! From their table they could see the confused yet delighted expressions on the faces of the people in the car. Tickled by the fact that they had just covered the whole $3 meal and most likely made someones day, they decided to do it again. This time it was a van that pulled up, and little did they know that it was FULL of people. when my aunt ran up to pay for them it was $16 dollars! So they pooled their pocket change together and gave it anyway. It made my day to hear this! On a day when so many people were out to "get" they chose to give.

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ -Acts 20:35