Joyce Minor

God will get you for that

Minor Musings
Published: November 7, 2010

Have you ever had one of those experiences when you're just trying to be helpful or accommodating or friendly, in other words doing the right thing for the right reason, and someone misinterprets it or takes offense? They may even lash out at you, embarrassing or humiliating you.

That's when it's tempting to start believing the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished. And it makes it much harder to do the right thing the next time, because you fear you're risking the same rebuff. But once in a great while it doesn't end there. God won't let it.

I'll never forget when we were newly married and we moved to New Jersey. We visited the local shopping mall and just as we were about to leave, it started raining buckets, so I stayed in the store by the door and John dashed out to get the car. Several other people were standing there too, so I casually said to the lady next to me, "Wow, it's really coming down. Do you have far to go?" Here was her response:"You talkin' to me? I don't know you and I don't care what you got to say. You think you can just talk to anybody? Well, not me, sister!"

Just then John arrived with the car and I dashed out through the rain to hop in. He knew immediately that something was wrong. Before he could even ask, I covered my face and burst into tears. Regaining my composure, I looked up just in time to see the "friendly" lady I'd spoken to slip and fall flat on her behind in a huge puddle.

I really did try not to laugh.

For months after that I was afraid to speak to anyone I didn't know. I got over it eventually and returned to behaving the way I was brought up, being friendly and kind to strangers. And I've usually found them friendly in return. . . until a recent trip to Siesta Beach in Sarasota.

We spread our blanket on the sand, and while John went into the water with our son, I decided to take in some sun first. Not far away a bunch of gulls were pecking at a plastic zipper bag full of dry cereal that someone had left behind. I rather enjoyed watching the birds, admiring their persistence when the bag wouldn't open. But I soon got frustrated with their loud squawking and swooping over my head to dive at the bag. So I picked it up and tossed it a distance away, trying not to let it land near anyone else.

A guy on a nearby blanket scowled at me. Even though the bag was nowhere near him, he went and picked it up, then carried it over and dumped its contents on my blanket. Without a word he brushed off his hands and went into the water leaving me surrounded by a squawking, clamoring crowd of gulls. I had to get up and run away because they were all over my blanket fighting each other for the food.

I was angry at that lame-brained, inconsiderate boob, but by then the feeding frenzy was nearly over so I calmed down. I considered grabbing the last bit of cereal and dumping it on the guy's unattended blanket, but as it turned out, I didn't need to. Just then one of the gulls flew low over his blanket and left a deposit in one awful splat.

Again, I tried not to laugh. And I was doing okay, till someone nearby spoke aloud, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord."