WOMAN notices kids CRYING when single dad couldn’t afford paying groceries and…
Faith is capable of everything. We can be going through the worst moment of our lives and get ahead thanks to her. It is not something that is easy to explain because it is not something you can see or teach others; you can only feel it, and when you do it, there is no more real and pure feeling than that. The story we came to tell you today narrates one of those moments in which Faith manages to get two people who have lost everything and who live without illusion to save each other and manage to reconnect with themselves. It is a story about the loss and the new beginnings that will surely excite you and give you back your faith in many things.
Have you ever doubted the voice in your head? I am sure you have many times; we all do all the time, but that is not why we will not stop hearing it, right? Sarah Fleming, the protagonist of our story, also hesitated when she heard it one ordinary morning while shopping in a supermarket. But before going into detail and venturing into this surprising and unusual story, let us put it in context and give you a little bit more about Sarah. Getting to know her a little better will help us understand what it was that led her to believe in the mysterious voice that whispered in her ear that day instead of ignoring it and going on with her life as if nothing had happened.
Sarah was born in a small town in West Texas and grew up in a traditional American Christian family. She married at the age of 25 to her first and only boyfriend, Zach, and although they tried numerous times, they were never lucky enough to become parents. Despite that, she never felt her life lacked for anything; she was happy and fulfilled with the lifestyle she and her husband had. Since she was a little girl, it had been clear to her that when she grew up, she would dedicate herself to something related to animals and nature. So, when it came time to enroll in college and choose a career, it was clear to her: she wanted to be a veterinarian and specialize in the treatment of farm animals.
At home, there had always been animals of all kinds—cows, sheep, goats, and even horses. Her parents were ranchers and had a small ranch on the outskirts of the city. Sarah spent the best years of her life there, and even when she married Zach and moved to live in her own house only five kilometers away from her parents, she did not stop visiting them and helped her family with whatever they needed. Everything was going well; she had her own veterinary practice and consulted all over the farms in the state, while her husband worked at the hospital as a head nurse. They could not complain; they had never had reason to, until one hot summer afternoon when everything changed and the happiness they had built together was shattered into a thousand pieces.
“Mrs. Fleming, we regret to inform you that your husband suffered a heart attack while on duty at the hospital. We quickly attended to him and did everything we could to resuscitate him, but there was nothing we could do. Zach has passed away; we are very sorry for your loss.”
Those were the words that one of the nurses who worked with her husband said to her. Sarah listened to everything the kind and attentive woman sent, but she never got around to answering anything. She hung up the phone and stayed locked in her car for hours just crying. Sarah was driving home when her whole world came crashing down. She was parked on the side of the road, crying and processing what had just happened. Her husband, her best friend, the person she planned to spend her whole life with until the end, was gone.
The pain she felt at the loss of Zach was so great that she was never the same person again. She stopped working and locked herself in her parents’ house, not accepting visitors, not even from her closest friends. She was angry at fate because life had robbed her of her great love, but above all, she was angry with God—a God to whom she had always been grateful for everything He had given her and to whom she spoke often. However, since Zach was no longer around, her relationship with God and her faith had been broken.
Her parents could not bear to see her like this. Sarah had always been a cheerful and social person; she loved spending time with her friends and outdoors, but now she only spent her days cooped up, and the only company she accepted was that of the farm animals.
“Honey, you have to get back to your life. You can’t stay locked up here forever. I know how hard this is being for you, but you really, really need to get out of here. Let us help you.”
Her mother kept telling her over and over again. Her parents were trying their best to get her out of that state of infinite sadness, but they did not know what else to do.
“You can’t understand my pain. Daddy is here with you; He is not God. He didn’t leave you alone, Zach did.”
She replied in a scathing manner and without giving cause for engaging in conversation.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, we won’t. If you also don’t want to work or see your friends, don’t do it either. But do something. Help us on the farm; animals are the best therapy, and they seem to be the only ones you’re treating well lately.”
Her mother replied before slamming the door and leaving her alone again. It was several months before Sarah decided to return to helping her parents with the daily chores on the farm. She did not feel strong enough to return to veterinary practice, but caring for the animals and doing farm maintenance work kept her distracted and helped her cope with her grief. During all this time, Sarah’s relationship with God remained the same—in complete silence. However, as is usual in life and faith, things can change from one moment to the next, and what we felt could never happen suddenly does.
That is precisely what happened to Sarah while she was doing some routine shopping at the supermarket for the farm. And it is here where we return to the original story, the moment where Sarah Fleming, our sad widow, had what we commonly call a divine revelation which literally brought her back to life.
Sarah was standing in line to pay at one of the supermarket checkouts when she saw a really sad and distressing scene. A father and his two sons—the oldest about 13 and the youngest no more than five—were trying to pay for their groceries. The cash register at the grocery store read $94.10 in total, a fairly low amount of money for many, but not for this father, apparently. The man, who was also a widower, was already buying the minimum of what he thought he could afford, but it was still too much. The cashier kept telling him that his credit card was not accepted and to please offer her another method of payment with which to pay the bill.
“I have no more cards, no more cash. Please, remove several things from the cart until the card is accepted.”
The man begged her in a low voice in an attempt to keep the rest of the people present from noticing his precarious financial situation. Sarah could not help but feel deeply sorry for them. The children seemed to be really embarrassed by the situation and looked at their father in disbelief while he did not stop trying to pay with a card until the cashier removed more things. And it was precisely while she was looking at them that she heard a sweet voice whispering in her ear that seemed to come straight from Heaven.
“Pay for these groceries. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the money. I’ll provide. Trust me.”
The voice told her firmly. Sarah felt a gentle nudge on her back and a slight electric shock in her heart. She did not understand what was happening, but she was sure of what she had heard. It was not her imagination; a voice was speaking to her and asking her to help this family.
“How is it possible? Am I going crazy?”
She said to herself in a low voice, trying to clear her thoughts.
“Help him and I will help you. Don’t hesitate.”
The mysterious voice said again. She could not ignore it. She felt another push inside, this time stronger. Her whole body was urging her to obey what the voice was telling her to do. Sarah heard God’s command, but just as she was about to open her mouth and say something, she hesitated. She pulled back at the last moment and held her breath. What if she embarrassed this man’s children even more? The last thing that man needed was for someone else to make him feel bad for not having money to feed his children, Sarah thought as she looked at the father who kept pulling food out of the cart.
“Don’t be afraid of what happens next. I’ll be by your side.”
And there it was again, another whisper in her mind, loud and clear. The voice was firmer than the last few times, and this time Sarah did not hesitate.
“I’ll pay for it!”
Sarah exclaimed aloud as blood flooded her face. She did it without thinking; it was an impulse she could not control. Even she was surprised to hear herself say those words out loud. The man and his children turned slowly to look at her, not believing their ears. In fact, everyone there stared at her in disbelief, as they did not understand what led her to offer her help to a complete stranger. Her children’s eyes had become as big as saucers, and the man looked at her dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
“I don’t know how to thank you. I’m a widowed father; my wife died only a year ago and it’s proving hard.”
The father told her with tears in his eyes after Sarah paid his bill.
“It’s all right. I wanted to help. I understand your pain perfectly well; I also lost my husband recently and I know how difficult it can be. I can’t even imagine what it must be like with two young children in your care. You owe me nothing. I know it’s what God told me to do; you needed it and it was my duty to help you.”
She replied quietly, giving him a big smile in return. It was the first time Sarah had smiled since her husband’s death, but she did not even notice.
“So you’re an angel. God has sent you to take care of my family at a really hard time. I’ll be eternally indebted to you. Can you tell me your name, just so I know who I should thank? My name is James, by the way.”
The man asked before Sarah left.
“Of course, I’m Sarah Fleming. It’s nice to meet you and again, you owe me nothing. It’s been a pleasure helping you, James. I felt I should do it, and I did. If you have anyone to thank, thank God; it was all because of Him.”
She said kindly before turning around to get into her car and head back to the farm. And although Sarah was not yet aware of it, a small action she took, prompted by a mysterious divine voice, would change her life again. It turned out that James, as he had explained to Sarah the day they met, was also grieving for his wife. But because he could not get over it, he joined a grief support group. After what Sarah did for him, he sought her out relentlessly so he could repay her for the great gesture she had made to his family. But Sarah refused to accept his money.
Still, James did not give up and invited her to join him in one of his group sessions to try and help her overcome her grief. Against all odds, Sarah accepted, because after what happened that day in the supermarket, she had decided to stop hiding. God had spoken to her; He had chosen her out of millions of people to give her a mission, and that did not happen every day.
Sarah and James became great friends, and with their help and that of the bereavement support group, Sarah went back to laughing and living a normal life. She never forgot her husband and always felt an ache inside when she thought about him, but she never again let it paralyze her and keep her from being herself. Recently, with the intention of sharing with the world her experience and serving as an example for others who have gone through something similar to her, Sarah decided to write a post on social network explaining how she felt.
“Losing my husband, I lost my life, I lost myself, and I lost my faith. But God Almighty did not leave me alone; He spoke to me to wake me up, and since then I have not stopped fighting to feel alive again, just as he would want me to. If you too have felt like this, without hope and without faith, remember my words: God will never leave you.”
Sarah’s story is a story of faith that invites us to believe beyond what we are able to see. So, if you have ever felt that voice, now you know that you are not crazy and that it is not your imagination. The strength of faith is what keeps us alive, and Sarah Fleming is proof of that.
