Yesterday Diane and I went to Walmart to pick up something she ordered and had delivered there. She paid for it online so we did not need to wait at the checkout. Since we were there we decided to buy a package of Farm Rich mozzarella sticks, which we did have to pay for at the front registers. We got to the front of the store and the scene was chaos. They have removed 3/4 of their checkout lines in order to put in self checkouts. But none of the self checkouts are installed yet. And the self checkouts they did have are gone. They had an employee there who was as frazzled as a “one legged man at a butt kicking contest.” I told her we were just going to leave the cheese sticks with her and get out of there. She told us if we were willing to walk out to the garden center that there were 4 registers open there with no waiting. Diane took the cheese sticks to the garden center and I went to the car with the item we picked up.
Looking back on the scene, there is a modern day parable here. While acknowledging that salvation is so much more than stepping out of the line to hell and getting in the line to heaven, the Bible does tell us that there are two lines, or paths (ways, roads, etc).
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” ~ Matthew 7:13-14
“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” ~ Proverbs 14:12
Are we willing to walk to the garden center to be spared of the line jumping, cart nudging, and incivility of the checkouts? You bet ya. That seems like a no-brainer.
Are you willing to take the narrow way that leads to life? That also seems like a no-brainer.
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Scott Knowlton's Blog 