The Lollipop Moments

You know those moments where you run into someone you used to know, but have zero clue how? They seem to remember you, but you have no recollection of who they are? It still amazes me how simple the act of showing up in the everyday can impact other people in such a strong way that they remember the traces you’ve left on them.

When I worked at a small tea shop years ago, there was a man who walked by as I was sampling tea. His wife was walking their child in a stroller ahead of him, but he stopped to sample something, calling me by name. I was dumbfounded. I had zero recollection of who he was. He told me we went to high school together and that I had encouraged him in some way I didn’t remember at all. After he was done sampling tea, he walked ahead to where his wife was and I was left with tea in my arms wondering how on earth I had left such an imprint on a stranger.

In a six minute ted talk, Drew Dudley talks about how one simple thing can ultimately change the trajectory of a life. He was just doing his job. It was a simple moment that left some imprint on a girl going to college. The point was about these times we don’t even know we’re encouraging someone, yet are doing it in the ways we show up.

He called them “Lollipop moments.”

I agree with his idea that these moments are important. But how often are we telling people “hey, this is how you impacted my life for the better?” How often are we walking around in our everyday lives saying small things, not recognizing the thumbprint they leave on someone else?

When I look at the life of Jesus, I see threads of lollipop moments. He walks about His life with the Father, one with the spirit, and people are drawn to Him. He see’s people and leaves an impact on them in such a way where they are forever changed like the girl in that man’s TED Talk. One of my favorite stories in the Bible about this is the story of the woman at the well. Jesus meets her there and she is weary of Him.

Despite her hesitancy, He is good to see her and tell her about the well that won’t run dry. She immediately wants some water, and Jesus tells her “go get your husband.”

She tells him she doesn’t have a husband and he says “no, you have had five,” information only she would have known at the time. This not only convinces her, but the entire interaction leads Jesus to reveal that He is who He says He is.

I imagine she must have walked away from that well completely changed and utterly transformed by the grace, love, and mercy he displayed with her. It was a short interaction, but an interaction that left her changed. It was a moment that left an imprint of truth in her heart, likely prompting her to go and tell everyone she could.

What Jesus revealed to her mattered.

In the same way, the small things we do matter. The small breath prayers we pray matter. The things that make us tick matter. The things that we share need to be intentional and with the right heart. 

Whether we realize it or not, we are leaving traces of ourselves everywhere we go.