Spilling the Beans and Going Above and Beyond
I was in my usual hurry on a recent Sunday. Because Mary Evelyn and I were going to a bridal shower, I didn’t have time for our usual sit-down meal with church friends. Since Mary Evelyn was going to drive, I visited with our friends at the restaurant for a few minutes and hurried out the door with takeout while Ray continued visiting. I planned to eat my lunch in the passenger seat while Mary Evelyn drove.
I was thankful that my Styrofoam container was in a plastic bag because when I placed it in the seat, out spilled green beans and pinto beans into the bag.
Homesteader Bill Stagg with pinto beans,
Pie Town, New Mexico, October 1940,
photo by Russell Lee,
courtesy of Library of Congress
Packing pinto beans at a wholesale
grocery store, San Angelo, Texas,
photo by Russell Lee,
courtesy of Library of Congress
My map app told me I had five extra minutes before arriving at our designated meeting place, so on the way I pulled into a service station for something to drink and hoped they might sell me an empty food container.
I went to the counter with a bottle of milk and asked if I could purchase one of the paper trays I saw lying on top of the glass display of the usual Southern service station food fare. “Do you have food?” asked the man behind the counter.
“Yes,” I replied. “I picked it up at Helen’s and spilled it.”
“I’ll give you two so it will be stronger,” he said. . “Do you need a spoon? Here’s a plastic bag to put your trash in.”
I was impressed with the thoughtfulness of this man who went above and beyond, piling on the kindnesses. I met Mary Evelyn on time, enjoyed my lunch, and relished the memory of this kind man.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
“Whoever forces you to go one mile,
go with him two.”
Matthew 5:41
One of the lessons He taught His 12 disciples soon after choosing them was:
“Give, and it will be given to you.
They will pour into your lap
a good measure—pressed down,
shaken together, and running over.
For by your standard of measure
it will be measured to you in return.”
Luke 6:38
Above and beyond generosity is a lesson we should teach, too.
The generous man will be prosperous,
And he who waters will himself be watered.
Proverbs 11:25