Step by Step

A number of years ago I got a call from my mother telling me that Perry was getting a Kroger. She was so excited and told me she couldn’t wait for us to come home so she could take us to Krogers. (Yes, she would put an “s” on the end of it. But that’s better than replacing the “t” in Wal-Mart with a “k” making it Wal-Mark” – which she does not do.) So sure enough, we came home and made the anticipated trip to “Krogers.” And it was nice, but they did have grocery stores where I lived, and I frequented them often, so I can’t say I was tremendously impressed by the venture.

However, last October, we got a Publix! Can you just imagine the excitement in my voice when I called my children and told them they surely had to come home so I could take them to our new grocery store? I mean, after all, it’s a Publix! (And here's proof that I really did take them!)



BUT, this is not your ordinary grocery story. I mean, they let you sample food – and lots of it! The first two weeks it was open, I never even had to cook! We would just go around dinner time and eat our way through. Actually, I would eat my way through as my husband doesn’t get into progressive dinners, and so I would just buy something and bring it home to him (and only because they refused to give me a take out). One afternoon I met my daddy there, and we must have eaten a pound of shrimp a piece. And that was mingled with turkey and dressing, sweet potato casserole and a number of desserts. (Oh, and did I mention that the building is made of metal, so there’s no phone service? Mom didn’t have a clue where Dad was, and so he ate without the fear of her calling and spoiling our fun.)

But there’s really something else that’s neat about Publix. The lighting in their coolers. The first time I noticed it, I thought something was wrong. And then I considered, “No, this is occurring on purpose.” And then I actually began testing it. And sure enough, it was happening. The lights in the frozen section are on sensors, and if no one is in that aisle, the lights are off. But once you start down it, the first case will come on. And as you move further, the second case, until the entire aisle is lit up like a runway! But sometimes (okay, often times), I only want to go as far as the ice cream – and so the rest of the aisle stays unlit. How cool is that? And I just want to know: has anybody else but me noticed it?

Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path.” This ancient imagery actually comes from the very small “lanterns” that were tied to the top of the sandals of the traveler. It gave off just enough light for him to see where to put his next step when it was night; where to place his foot when it was dark outside.

You know, so often we want to see the whole scope of things. We want the entire road map laid out before us so we’ll know what to expect. We want to know the turns and the twists. But God says, “Step by step I’ll lead you.” Or in Publix-ese, “Case by case.” And who knows, He just might be leading us to the ice cream! Wherever it is, one thing we can know for sure: it’s bound to be good because He is good.

Just an ordinary moment…