When he saw an elderly woman carrying groceries, a homeless widower named Alfred jumped in to help. In this modern-day parable, he received a special blessing in return! We were designed to bear each other’s burdens, not just the heavy ones like cancer, death, or divorce. We were designed to bear all burdens. It was an elderly woman carrying a heavy bag of groceries in this case. Alfred, a homeless man, jumped in to help without expecting anything in return.

She assumed he asked because he needed money. But Alfred was overcome with compassion as he watched this woman shuffle and struggle with her groceries, and he knew she needed a little assistance. But the woman felt terrible because she had nothing to offer in return. Alfred’s reaction surprised her when she said so. “You remind me of my mother, and I wouldn’t charge my mother for my assistance,” he explained…

Alfred followed the woman home and refused to have a cup of tea with her. As the elderly lady reflected on the man’s selfless act of kindness in carrying her groceries, she began to put them away when she discovered something else in her bag. RELATED: A Wealthy Woman Helps A Homeless Man For A Lovely Reason. A peek inside revealed a necklace, wedding ring, and locket nestled among her groceries. She knew it was probably Alfred’s, and that it had fallen into the bag while he was assisting her.

What she didn’t realize was that she now held the only keepsake Alfred had of his beloved belated wife. The woman went to the grocery store the next day to find Alfred and return such a valuable and sacred possession. They were able to track Alfred down with the help of the store owner and security guards. What followed was incredible. The elderly lady embraced Alfred and returned the jewelry to him.

The store owner then offered Alfred a job as a result of his kindness and selflessness in carrying the woman’s groceries. They were looking for the right person to assist the store’s elderly customers in carrying groceries. Isn’t that unbelievable? We will never know the burdens that another human being bears. However, if we help each other carry burdens, a beautiful ripple effect of goodness overflows in unimaginable ways.

God’s fingerprints are all over this story. Only he could plan something as simple as carrying a bag of groceries to help change the life of a homeless man. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ,” Galatians 6:2.