Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant … This is how God works –  when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.”
(John 15: 5, 8)

I have the knack of selecting the wrong line at the supermarket. Once, I was next in line, with four people behind me, when the cashier announced that her register was closed, which meant (of course) that everyone behind me turned and scooted with their shopping trolleys to a newly opened register, leaving me at the end of the new line. I complained that they should have a better system, then left the store without buying anything, hurting only myself.

Recently I was in line with my groceries at a different store. Ahead of me a customer was giving the cashier a hard time and taking a long time doing so. The woman behind me had one item. I invited her to go ahead of me. Turns out, she wanted cash from her debit card. That took a long while as well!

I was proud of staying patient and not saying anything untoward to anyone. When my turn finally came, the cashier apologised even though she had done nothing wrong at all. I noticed she had a wristband with WWJD printed on it. Often it’s what we do that matters, not what we say or don’t say.

I called the manager over and complimented the cashier’s gentleness and professionalism. Then I opened the bag of delicious chocolates I had purchased and gave one to each of them. The cashier started to cry. The harried manager smiled.

Actions can speak louder than words. I didn’t have to be knocked off a horse this time to get it.