Nearly 30 years ago I started working as a cashier at Shoney’s. I’ve served as a cashier five times and every single time some employee has set me up to be accused as a thief. But this was my first job as cashier so I was not prepared for what happened.
The manager, a hard-driving, hard-smoking, hard-drinking woman who had lived in or near the streets was in no mood to tolerate the missing $135. She dragged us all into the dining room and said she wanted the money back in the drawer before 9 p.m. that night. She would be happy to speak to any of us about this if we wanted to see her privately.
After that shift I asked her for a private conference. We met in a booth. I told her I was a Christian and I took the Bible very seriously. Oh no! You could see the disgust all over her face. Here was some religion nut, she was thinking. I told her I didn’t know the names of the employees having just started but that I did know the Bible.
All the time she was puffing disgustedly on her cigarette. I told her that if she would read Psalm 50 she would learn that a thief, to God, is in the same category as an adulterer. Here is the passage to which I was referring.
When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.
Psalm 50:18
I said to her – if you find the adulterer you will find the money. A strange look came over her face and we parted. A few days later I returned for my regular shift and to my surprise someone said the missing money had been returned. I knew then the manager knew who the adulterer was and had herself identified the crook.
But it was a big lesson to me of how God can step in. Three things happened – I was freed of the possibility of being thought a thief, the thief was exposed, and the hard-drinking, hard-smoking manager learned a lesson about God.
God knows everything and everyone. Not one of our sins is hidden from his face. We don’t get away with a thing no matter how far we are from him.
And I learned too – that the Bible would and could be my defense in any situation.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+50&version=MSG
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©CorneliaScottCree.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission, from this blog’s author and/or owner, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to CorneliaScottCree.com. Thank you for cooperating in the effort to give glory to God.
3 Responses
Yes…i remember this story and the one where you were fired at Quincy’s.
How did this women know the adulterer when there are so many who do this in secret like King David and of course God knew this and brought his sin to light! Sounds like this women was willing to give the person the opportunity to return the money before giving out her wrath, and they did!
Then again those hard drinkers sometimes do forget how to count or where they put things sometimes…could have been her and wouldn’t that be hard to confess up to?
Well- I really never ever considered that it might be the manager but she was right, if it was an employee, as I fully believe that she was, was also merciful. Maybe she realized that God was there n life and able to separate truth from fiction. On the other side of the grave we will know.
I recently told this story again because it shows how one can be a believer in a secular world and still not back down on the word of God. The world intimidates us into believing we are damaging God’s reputation when we speak up; no, we don’t damagei t, we reveal it. The whole story of mankind is hearing the word and making a decision. Their decision is not our responsibility; we are mere messengers.