Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on
her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner
of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let
her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband
was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and
they needed food.
John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that
she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said:
‘Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can.”
John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a
charge account at his store.
Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the
conversation between the two. The customer walked forward
and told the grocerman that he would stand good for whatever
she needed for her family.
The grocerman said in a very reluctant voice, “Do you have a
list? Louise replied “Yes sir” “O.K.” he said, “put your grocery
list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will
give you that amount in groceries.”
Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached
into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled
something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale
carefully with her head still bowed. The eyes of the grocerman
and the customer showed amazement when the scales went
down and stayed down. The grocerman staring at the scales,
turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, “I can’t
believe it.”
The customer smiled and the grocerman started putting the
groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not
balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them
until the scales wouldhold no more. The grocerman stood there
in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the
scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a
grocery list, it was a prayer which said: “Dear Lord, you know
my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.”
The grocerman gave her the groceries that he had gathered and
placed on the scales and stood in stunned silence. Louise
thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-
dollar bill to John as he said, “It was worth every penny of it.” It
was sometime later that John Longhouse discovered the scales
were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer
weighs.
