They were in the grocery store, in the freezer section, when it happened. Susanne and Abigail, eleven-year-old identical twin sisters, had just run into the grocery story to pick up a bucket of chocolate ice cream. Their mother, who had sent them into the store together, was waiting for them in the car in the store’s parking lot.
“Do you see it, Abigail?” Susanne asked. The girls were having a hard time finding the exact brand and flavor that their mother had asked them to get.
“Um…” Abigail kept looking at the different kinds of ice cream. “No, I don’t see it… oh, here it is!” She flung open the freezer door and grabbed the ice cream.
“Ow! Susanne, can’t you look what you’re doing?” a lady shrieked. Abigail whirled around and who happened to be standing there but their grouchy next-door neighbor, Mrs. Baker.
“I’m Abigail,” Abigail said a little defensively. She hated it when people got her and her twin sister mixed up and called her by the wrong name. “What did I do?” she asked.
“What did you do? I’ll tell you what you did,” Mrs. Baker snapped. “You just hit me in the head with the freezer door. I’m always telling you two girls to slow down. You just don’t listen, and now look what happened!”
“I-I’m sorry, Mrs. Baker,” Abigail said. “I was just excited. You see, we don’t get ice cream very often at my house, and-”
“I don’t care what you were doing. The fact is, you hit me in the head and it hurts!” Mrs. Baker turned around sullenly and stomped away quickly.
“Oh, great,” Abigail said Susanne. “I didn’t mean to hit her in the head. I didn’t even know she was there. Now she’ll dislike us more than ever.”
“It’s okay,” Susanne replied. “You said you were sorry and you meant it. That’s what counts. Let’s just go pay for the ice cream and get out of here before we run into her again.”
The girls paid for the ice cream and got back in the car with their mother. They told her what had happened in the store with Mrs. Baker.
“It sounds like maybe you do need to slow down a bit, Abigail, and ‘look before you leap,’” Mom said after hearing the girls’ story. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt her, though, and I’m glad you told her you were sorry.” Mom paused, and then continued, “Speaking of Mrs. Baker, don’t forget that this is the day that you promised to go over to her house and help her with her gardening.”
“Oh, Mom, do we have to?” questioned Susanne. “After what happened in the store, I don’t think she wants us anymore.”
“Yes, you girls need to keep your promise. If she decides she doesn’t want you, she can send you back. But until then you need to go over there and help her. Remember to be polite and treat her nicely. God will reward you for it.”
So later that day, the Susanne and Abigail, dressed in gardening clothes, walked up Mrs. Baker’s driveway and knocked on her front door.
“Yes?” Mrs. Baker opened her door and raised an eyebrow at the girls.
“We came to help you with your gardening today, like we said we would,” Susanne said as politely as she knew how.
Mrs. Baker sighed. “Oh, yes. All right, I’ll meet you in the garden. I’ve got to go get the things we’ll need.”
For the next two hours, the girls and Mrs. Baker worked on weeding, planting, and watering Mrs. Baker’s flowers and vegetables. No one mentioned the incident in the store. When they were done, Mrs. Baker invited the two girls inside her house for some milk and cookies. The girls were very much surprised, but accepted the offer.
Once the three were all seated at the table, Mrs. Baker said, “I have a confession to make. I have not treated you girls nicely at all since you moved in next door. I’ve yelled at you and been mean to you. Then, when you hit me in the head in the store, I’d had it. I was really put out. But you girls were nice to me anyways. You apologized, although I know it was hard to do. And then you came over and kept your promise about the gardening. Not only that, but you were very kind to me the entire time. I’ve learned a lesson. I’m sorry about the way I’ve been treating you. Do you forgive me?”
“Of course we forgive you,” Susanne spoke up. She ran over to where Mrs. Baker was sitting and gave the lady a hug.
“One other thing,” Mrs. Baker continued, “Could I come to church with you next Sunday?”
“I’m proud of you,” Mom said once the twins were back home and had relayed the afternoon’s events. “Now do you see how the Lord blessed you for being faithful in being kind to Mrs. Baker?”
“Yes,” Abigail said. “Mrs. Baker seems like totally different person. I’m glad we did the right thing. It always pays.”