If you’re like me (and you’ve got too many items for the self check-out), you look for the line that you think will get you checked out the quickest…..am I right? You carefully examine how many items the customer ahead of you has placed on the belt—compare that with the other lines—and make your choice, hoping you’ve picked the fastest one… and that an unexpected “price check” won’t throw a wrench into your plan!

But how about this? A Dutch supermarket chain has opened SLOW lanes in 200 of their stores for people who don’t want to hurry! A company spokesperson says this about the value of these “chat lanes:”

“Many people, especially the elderly, sometimes feel lonely. It’s a small gesture, but a very valuable one, especially in a world that is digitizing and getting faster and faster.” 

Wow! What a concept….and I happened to read that news article at the same time I was working on this verse from the Bible for an upcoming sermon:

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32.

So I’m thinking….would something as simple as a “chat lane” help us be more kind to each other? And even if the local Krogers or Walmarts or Menards don’t adopt this, what if we did this on a personal basis? Slow down, take time to talk, let others go first….in a word, be KIND?

I think our world would be a better place. Those groceries will get put away soon enough…but the joy we’ve put in someone’s heart may last just a little while longer.