Angels Unawares

As typical, children from the neighborhood attended our Vacation Bible School, with no other connection to our church other than they wanted to come to VBS. On the first night we unfolded a carnival with a large bouncing slide (which the adults enjoyed as much as the children), an inflatable jumping room, games and crafts, hot dogs, and snow cones. In the midst of the fun, I met a talkative nine year old little girl. OK "talkative nine year old" sounds redundant, but you have the picture. She told me about her family, her hobbies, and what a great time she was having at VBS.

Now our strategy is to place the refreshment time at the end of the night, outside under our portico, and have parents to pick their children up there while enjoying the refreshments themselves. This allows us as workers to get acquainted with them. On the second night of VBS I saw the mom of my new little nine year old friend and thought "I recognize her." As we talked I learned she worked at Wal-Mart and that was where I remembered her.

Flash forward a week, a trip to Wal-Mart early in the morning for an oil change, and as I entered the store there she stood calling a customer to pick up his vehicle. My first thought was to wave so as not to appear rude. My second thought was of being glad I saw her before displaying a bad attitude, negative spirit, anger, and I think you know where I am heading. OK, while Wal-Mart typically provides my oil changes, every experience has not been an exemplar of customer care and satisfaction. I go there because they are cheap and one of our members, who I have great respect for, now runs the shop.

I doubt very seriously the Hebrew writer envisioned VBS, oil changes, and Wal-Mart when he wrote, "some people have entertained angels without knowing it," 13:1; but there certainly seems to be a principle we can run with anyway. In line at McD's, checking out at HEB, driving down the freeway, waiting for the pizza which was suppose to be ready for pick-up in 20 minutes and now it is 40 minutes later, and on and on. We never know when God is checking out our hospitality through unassuming circumstances. We never know when the gracious attitude shown at VBS finds validation, or invalidation on a quick trip to Wal-Mart.