Random acts of kindness.  Is it possible to experience God’s care through the ordinary every day kindnesses of other people?  Two subway events happened to me that make me think of God and His care for me…more than a lily of the field.

The second one happened the other day.  I’m reversing the order because the second story is fresher on my mind than the first.  Yet, both illustrate God’s care in subtle yet powerful ways.

I was between two appointments and spotted a Subway.  Ahh, perfect spot for lunch.  I’m a big fan of tuna sandwiches on the road.  They taste better than the ones I make at home, for some reason.  So, I parked, walked in to to the store and took my place in the line for the sandwich artists, as they’re called, to make me a sandwich.  Flatbread, tuna, lettuce, tomato, olives, pickles, onions, and salt and pepper.  This combination is tasty…so I get it every time!  Sandwich made, I take out my wallet to pay the $3.50 plus tax.  However, where is the wallet?…there is no wallet!  I think quickly, and tell the cashier that I can’t believe I don’t have my wallet, and get ready to leave without the sandwich.

The cashier does something unexpected.  He tells me not to worry about it, I can pay him ‘tomorrow’.  I’m taken aback.  This wasn’t in the script for subway sandwich ordering.  I think to myself, what if I’m a crook?  Or forget about paying the money?  I don’t trust myself as much as the cashier seems to trust me.  I have been a consumer long enough to see hundreds if not thousands of cashiers in my lifetime, waiting patiently for me to drag out that last penny.  I cannot recall anyone ever saying to me, “pay me next time”.  It’s not s.o.p. (standard operating procedure).  I don’t expect this kindness and thank the guy about three times before I leave.

Subway story number one involves a real subway train, the underground kind.  I’m living in New York City, where everybody pretty much ignores everybody else, especially on subways when there is 1/4 inch between you and the next person’s breath for an hour underground.  Understandable.  Except when you’re about to faint.  I found myself getting weak-kneed on the underground portion of my hour and a half commute to work.  In fact, everything went completely black around me.  I could barely breathe.  Classic signs that I should sit down and not try to stand up in a swaying subway car.  I’m streetwise enough not to expect anyone to come to my aid.  In fact, I felt that quite the opposite would happen.  If I fainted, it would be the perfect opportunity for other people to pick through the contents of my pocketbook, kick me in the head, and leave me gasping on the platform.

Maybe I didn’t give New Yorkers enough credit.  But, on that day, I tapped a man on the shoulder who was sleeping and told him I needed to sit down.  He jumped up from his sleeping position to give me a seat,  as if he heard a voice from heaven  At the next stop, having revived a bit from having a seat, I stumbled to the blurry outline of the door of the subway car and got out, targeting a fuzzy bench in the distance.  I had no idea what to do next.  I was too weak to call or get anyone’s attention, and no one seemed to look my way as they hurried past.  It’s a skill only found in NYC.  I reached around to my backpack and in it found an orange.  I peeled it, ate it, and the world came back – I could see clearly again and could walk – the crisis was over.

In both of these stories, the care of God breaks in.  A caring Subway cashier who does something unexpected – a man who makes room for a stranger on a subway car, and a piece of fruit.  Random items, for sure.  But, solutions at a point of need – when I needed something, it was there.  I can take that for granted or use these incidents to deepen my trust in a living God who “works all things to the good for those who love Him.”

What ordinary events has God used in your life to show His care?