How much a Prayer Weighs

A friend forwarded this in an email, and I wanted to share it with everyone.

Louise, a poorly
dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face,
walked into a grocery
store.

She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner
and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.

She softly
explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven
children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at
her and requested that she leave
his store at once.

Visualizing the
family needs, she said: Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as
soon as I can.

John told her he could not give her credit, since she
did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the
counter was a customer who overheard the conversation be tween the two. The
customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for
whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice,
Do you have a grocery list?

Louise replied, Yes sir. O.K he said, put
your grocery list on the
scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I
will give you that amount in groceries.

Louise hesitated a moment with
a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper
and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale
carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the
customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down.


The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and
said begrudgingly, I can't believe it.

The customer smiled and the
grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The
scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them
until the scales would hold no more.

The grocer stood there in utter
disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of
paper from the scales and looked
at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a
prayer, which said: Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your
hands.'
The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood
in stunned
silence.

Louise thanked him and left the store. The
other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said; It was worth
every penny of it. Only God knows how much a prayer weighs.