The 248 Ghosts in Walmart

My trip to Walmart recently started off business as usual. I was not excited, in the least, about going. Heather had to pick up a few things and some of them were heavy so I went to help out.

I was tending to my own business when I could sense, "them","The Others", "Ghosts", "I see dead people", ok, ok enough with the ad lids. It was as if I knew there were people, but I just did not see them. Have you ever had that experience at Walmart, so many people you just don't notice them anymore? Let me go on.

I probably would have got in and got out that day if it was not for the way my day had started. I specifically prayed for people that morning. People in Lea County, people in our community, people in our neighborhood, people to come to our church. Then I found myself in the middle of Walmart not caring about..."people".

I had a thought. I would start my Walmart trip over again, and count every person I see. I went back to the front doors of Walmart and started to count every person who I ran into. 4,5,6,7.23.24.25...109,110,111. The counting continued right up to the time we checked out and walked out the doors. How many do you think I counted in a 1/2 hour visit to Wally World? 250 faces that I would have never noticed. However there was another shocking numerical fact. Out of 250 people I only knew 2.

If you know me you know I like people. I am a friendly guy, good natured, kind, even loving. This quick census made me really evaluate a side of me I am not to comfortable examining. I remember my reaction to some folk, now forced to look at them. I had no desire to even know them. There were others who I would notice based just on how they look or dress.

What would be your reaction if a random trip to Walmart would show that you only knew 5% of the most visited place in your community? Questions came to mind. Am I stuck up, a snob? Am I raciest or maybe just racial? Prideful, arrogant or self-centered might be a way to describe you.

My conclusion, YES and NO. The thing is, this is how all of us can be described. Its when we get an opportunity to self evaluate our lives we become the people we really want to be.

Here are a few ways to help in this area.
1. Walk with your eyes open.
The guy doing 45 in a 65 is not a Ghost. He is actually a bad driver who has problems of his own. He is a "people" you prayed for this morning.
2.Enlarge your circle of Love.
This might even include people who don't share the same beliefs as you. They are still "people" you prayed for this morning.
3.We can't help everybody, but one person can make a difference. Number 16:48
Story: An old man was walking along the ocean beach noticing the millions of starfish that had washed up on the shore from the storm the night before. He thought how sad it was that the starfish were unable to get back into the water and now was ding due to the hot sun. Then he noticed a little boy picking up Starfish and throwing them as far as he could back into the ocean. One by one he would through them back into the ocean. The old man grouchy said to the boy, "Young man, there are to many of them. How could you ever make a difference?" The young boy reached down and picked up another starfish, rared back and through it as far as he could back into the ocean. The boy then looked at the old man and said, "I made a difference for that one." The old man picked up a starfish and through it back into the ocean.