The Small Test

I'm not gonna lie. There have been many tests I’ve failed - whether I realized it immediately at the time or not. But today, something small happened that made me pause.

I was craving a cookie, so I went to Insomnia. I ordered two, paid, said thank you, and went on my way.

Shortly afterwards, I needed gas to get to Bible study. I pulled up, requested $20 on pump #2, and it declined. So, I tried again, it declined yet again. I told the attendant I’d be right back and walked to my car, baffled.

There’s no way I spent everything on cookies, I thought. Maybe there’s a hold on the card?

But when I checked, the balance was fine.

Then I realized 
“Oh Lord… I had locked my card earlier.”

So, I unlocked it, went back, the gas went through immediately approved. But as I stood there, another realization came over me -

That means the cookies never went through either!

And just like that, my heart sank. 

Because there I was, moments earlier, walking out with cookies in hand, smiling, all saying “thank you!”…completely unaware as I had walked out the door.

I looked at Kona and said, “We have to go back.”

Because it's not like I was trying to steal - because I’m not like that. But because once you know, you’re responsible for what you do next. We headed back to right that wrong. 

So I went back so fast as I pulled out that gas station.

When I walked in, the girl and the same guy who helped me earlier came out the back. I said, probably louder than I needed to:

“Hey, I was just in here, but I think my card didn’t go through. I didn’t realize until I got to my next stop, so I came back to pay.”

I had cash all in hand and ready to pay.

They smiled.

“You’re good,” they said.

I paused. “Like, are you sure?”

The guy shrugged gently and said, “Yeah…when it declined, I saw it. I just let it go.”

And for a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

Because he knew… and still let me walk out, smiling, saying thank you.

On the way home, to drop off Kona I went over the whole ordeal.

This wasn’t just about cookies.

It felt like a test.

A test of character.
A test of truth.
A test of humility.

It would have been easy to keep going, to say “Oh well, not my fault.” 
But something in me knew - that’s not who I’m becoming.

So I went back.

That was humility.
I explained what happened. That was truth.
And what I received in return?

Grace.

But you see how God is.
What felt like a small, almost forgettable moment became something more.

Because it wasn’t just about the cookies - it was about test of character.

Choosing to go back was humility.
Telling the truth was integrity.

And what I received in return… was grace.

It reminded me that God is always watching - not to condemn, but to refine. Even in the smallest moments, He’s shaping who we are becoming.

What would you have done?