For some reason, every time I go to Costco (a large warehouse with bulk goods at cheaper prices), I revert to my codependency—specifically that part of me that wants to help people when they have not asked for my help. I find myself interrupting conversations to tell people whether the product they are looking at is good, answering someone’s question directed to their friend, offering my coupons, or showing them where products are. I even found myself one time offering to help a man lift a big screen TV into his car!

I had decided to resist the urge to help others who weren’t asking for my help. I had successfully done this for several months when something humorous happened. I was looking at a case of Perrier water. A woman with a coupon asked me whether the water with flavors was good. Since I had been asked, I allowed myself to “help” her with my answer. I didn’t have a coupon, but I picked up a case of water and put it in my cart anyway. About 10 minutes later, I was trying to find a few cartons of eggs that didn’t have any cracked eggs (for some reason, there are a lot of cracked eggs). A woman standing near me handed me two cartons of eggs she found to give me—without me asking for her help. I smiled noting that she had helped me without my asking her. About ten minutes later, the woman who was looking at the Perrier water came up to me and handed me her coupon for the water that she had apparently decided not to buy, remembering that I didn’t have a coupon. She appeared to have been looking for me to give me the coupon—again, helping me without being asked.

I left the store smiling. I hadn’t recalled anyone ever offering to “help” me in Costco. I only knew that I had purposed to stop “helping” others and that the timing wasn’t a coincidence. I recognized God’s sense of humor at work and the reminder that he is aware of the little and big things in our lives, including our desire to become healthier emotionally, spiritually, and relationally.

By Karla Downing

Relationship Devotional Prayer

 
God,

Help me believe that you are aware of my desire to become healthier emotionally, spiritually, and relationally and that you are working in my life in big and small ways.

Relationship Devotional Challenge

•  Open your eyes to God’s ever-present hand in your life and relationships.

Scripture Meditation

 
Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (NIV).