Rewards, Rewards, Rewards!

I spent the latter part of my day on Friday and the first part of my day on Saturday at Associational Leadership Training at Camp La Vida. For this year’s training, I was responsible for planning Friday night’s worship service, helping lead a conference entitled, “How To Lead A Conference: Displays, Visuals, PowerPoint Presentations, and Handouts,” and leading the Student Consultant conference on Saturday.

As I was setting up for Friday night’s worship service and practicing PowerPoint with Cindy—in preparing for our conference we learned that practice is important :-)—our state president, Lil, zoomed into the building to deliver her conference materials for the next day. As she was zooming back out to her car, Lil told me that she had a present for me. When she returned, she presented me with three gallon sized bags full of Coke rewards points. I’ve never seen so many Coke rewards points in my life! (See today’s picture for the three bags, one of which accidently exploded in my office.)

When we were together last, I rescued a bottle cap from Lil. [Lil always has a little bottle of Diet Coke with her.] I told her that I saved Coke rewards points and that I’d gotten a food carrier that I use to bring treats to the office and a garden set that I use to tend the office plants. Lil said she’d been saving the points, too, but that she’d never done anything with them.

I didn’t think anything more of that conversation until Lil presented me with those three stuffed bags on Friday. Evidently, she’d gone home and decided to give her collection to me so that I could use it to get something for camp or the office or myself. I told her thank you at least five times over the weekend and then began putting in the points today. At only 120 points per week (which is 40 bottle caps), I’m thinking it’ll take me a few months to complete Lil’s collection…and then I’ll have more to add from my other collection agents: June Gail (my aunt), Shearin (my aunt), Mom (my mom), Donna (my coworker), Christina (my friend), and Neighbors on the corner (my neighbors on the corner).

As I’ve reflected on this Coke Rewards Extravaganza, I’ve realized two things:

1)I’m very blessed to have people who are willing to collect rewards points for me because I decided they shouldn’t go to waste. It seems like such a simple thing to collect a rewards number—and I suppose it is (unless you’re trash diving)—but thinking about it makes me truly grateful because it makes me realize that in the moment that someone consciously chooses to keep a rewards point rather than throw it away, then she is, at least for a second, thinking of me…not to mention giving me a gift instead of keeping the rewards for herself. I find this very touching and do not take it for granted.

2)The fact that Lil remembered our Coke rewards point conversation when I didn’t think twice about it both humbles and frightens me. I have a lot of conversations with a lot of people, and I, of all people—the textbook definition of the love language of Words of Affirmation—should be constantly aware of the power of words…yet I forget…and I undoubtedly say a lot of stupid things that stick in people’s minds long after I’ve forgotten I’ve said them. Talking about Coke rewards wasn’t stupid. Don’t hear that. I’ve just been reminded that people remember my words longer than I remember saying them and that I, therefore, need to be more mindful of this fact and seek, even more earnestly, to use my words for good…just as I will use the Coke rewards points for good!

What have you realized or been reminded of lately? Who has done something nice for you? What conversations have you recently had that have either come back to bless or haunt you?

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart (and the clicking of these keys and the using of life’s resources) be acceptable in your site, O Lord, my Redeemer. Amen.