Christian love in the grocery store

by Beth Campbell
from The Christian Science Journal, June 2026

On a recent Sunday I went to the grocery store after church. As soon as I got inside, I heard what sounded like yelling. At first, I thought it was kids playing in the aisles. Then I realized it was a young woman who was upset and disturbing the shoppers by going up and down the aisles in a loud and angry manner and throwing things. I saw the manager of the store trying to approach her repeatedly, but she would quickly get away from him and yell at him. He told me they had been trying to remove her from the store for over an hour.

I stood there for a moment or so, and then I felt impelled to go up to the woman. As soon as I did, she quieted down. I often ask God to give me opportunities to bless others, and suddenly I found myself in the midst of just such an opportunity! I love this sentence in the Christian Science textbook: “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God’s own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 476–477).

I felt impelled to go up to the woman.

I have pondered this statement many times, and that day I was grateful to put it into practice. I was viewing this woman as God’s very likeness, pure and perfect. This was my prayer for her.

She looked at me, and I calmly spoke to her. I asked her name, and I told her that she didn’t need to yell, as she was making people nervous. She told me that she didn’t like “that man” (the manager), who was “rude” to her. I talked to her for a few more minutes and then I asked if she would like to help me shop. She said yes and walked with me to the produce section. From this time on she was quiet and calm. The whole time I was praying to see her and love her as God’s child. She helped me pick out a few vegetables, and then I noticed two police officers had arrived.

When she saw the police, she was well behaved. They were very kind to her, but they told her she couldn’t come back to the store because of her behavior. She seemed to understand and didn’t argue. While she had been helping me shop, I had asked her if she would like a soda and told her that I would pay for it. She had said yes, and the police said it was OK for us to go pick out a soda. After she chose one, the police calmly escorted her out of the store.

Everyone wants to feel that they are loved, and each of us has a heart full of love to share with our world.

I was so grateful to have been there that day and to have supported this young woman and the atmosphere in the store. A few days later I was at the store again and I saw the manager. He thanked me for my help, and I was grateful to tell him that I had been praying that day. God had been helping all of us!

Don’t be surprised if you find a unique opportunity to bless another. Everyone wants to feel that they are loved, and each of us has a heart full of love to share with our world. God, Love itself, impels all of us to let our light shine in this way.

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This article was published in the June 2026 issue of The Christian Science Journal. To learn more about this monthly magazine, published online and in print, visit HERE.