By Amy Hinrichs

This evening, I was at the Jewel grocery store shopping. A simple event, that I usually love and hate all at the same time. I love the time alone, but I also hate the temptations around every single corner. Candy, chocolate goodies, etc... not to mention the price in groceries these days. I mean come on, I am a college student. You think I want to pay $5.89 for a box of Smart Start cereal? You've got to be kidding. Jewel brand Corn Flakes wins every time.

So anyway, I went to Jewel with $15 dollars, and I wanted to buy some milk, fruit, and cereal. I picked up two extra little fun grocery store items and proceeded to the check out. It was really weird, but as the grocery attendant was scanning my items, I had this weird thought in my head about how embarrassing it would be if I didn't have enough money... or if someone in front of me didn't have enough, if I would lend them money. It was a strange thought. Well... my total came to $15.14. 14 cents short I tell you! Seriously?!

I said to the grocery lady "I only have 15 dollars, shoot." And as I was about to remove something... the woman behind me in line said "Honey, you're short 14 cents? I can give you 14 cents." I said... "Thank you, really." And she said... "I would be happy to give you 14 cents. I would hope someone would do the same for my daughter." We then chatted for a couple seconds, and I made a couple "broke college student" references, and the grocery girl said "Yep, I am in school right now too, I know exactly how you feel!" and the lady who had given me the 14 cents said "I am a professor at Northwestern, I understand too!"

I thanked her again, and left. I couldn't stop smiling the whole way to my car. Because you see, today, I thought I did a big thing, when I donated a bunch of my clothes to a womens shelter... but Jesus does big things through everyone every single day. Jesus does big things through clothing donations, through missionaries, through food shelters, through homeless ministry... and Jesus does big things through 14 cents too. It's not that it was 14 cents that did it for me, it's not the 14 cents that made me cry in the car after I prayed for that woman... it was the truth that women of God can help one another, in so many different ways. Followers of God can help one another in so many ways. We can be Jesus to people in SO MANY WAYS. We don't need to travel to Africa to be like Jesus. We don't need to pile clothes in the back of a van and drive it to a shelter to be like Jesus. Sometimes, somedays, we just need to bring an extra 14 cents in our pocket, in case one of our brothers or sisters needs it. Sometimes, somedays, we need to do the little things, so Jesus can continue to do the big things through us.

I never got her name, and I wish I would have. Luckily, I can pray her for her, not knowing her name. God knows her name. Jesus knows her name. And that woman showed me Jesus today. And all she needed was 14 cents. Imagine what our world would look like... if we started being Jesus to the people 3 feet away from us, and not just running all over the globe to try and do the work of God. I mean, really, everyone needs Jesus revealed to them. Everyone. And sometimes... all it takes is 14 cents. Jesus can come in all forms. He can come in a smile, in a phone call, in a hug, in patience, in grace, in mercy, in a car ride to a shelter. Jesus can come in a bag of clothes, in tearful eyes, and in 14 cents... in the grocery store.

The Jesus I love, the Jesus I worship, follow, and adore... can make it so easy for us to be like Him. So easy. It's just whether we choose to see the opportunity, and then if we choose to use it.