Ep 32 - Tesco, A Tattoo, And A Test Of Mercy

A quiet ask at the supermarket entrance turned into a hard look at my own heart. A woman stopped me and asked for knickers—not cash, not sympathy, just a basic need met with dignity. I did the mental maths, offered the cheapest option, and then walked away when she chose the pair that would actually serve her. Minutes later I still had money in my hand, conviction in my chest, and a car park full of reasons to ignore the nudge to go back.

I unpack what happened next: the swirl of fear and judgement, the memory of being stranded years ago and how one stranger bought me a single fare home, and the sting of scriptures that refuse to let faith live only in words. Hebrews 13:2 and James 2:17 meet in a very normal aisle and ask a very direct question—if the Spirit prompts, will I obey even when the act is small and my pride is loud? We talk about practical mercy: how to balance caution with compassion, why dignity often costs a little more, and how boundaries can coexist with generosity without turning love into suspicion.

This story is not polished. It is unfiltered, ordinary, and true. I share it because small obedience shapes big character, and the kingdom often moves through simple acts that restore comfort and worth. If you’ve ever hesitated at the edge of a kind act, this conversation will help you name the fear, silence the excuses, and choose the next faithful yes. Listen, reflect, and then tell me: when did a tiny decision test your faith and change your day? Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge toward mercy, and leave a review so more people can find these honest, practical moments of faith.

Transcript

A Personal Story Begins

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Shalom shalom Saints hope everyone's well and thank you for listening. Today is the 14th of August 2025 and this one is personal to me because I just got home and clicked record because I wanted to share with you something that happened to me today. So I went to Tesco. For anyone who doesn't know, it's like a big supermarket. Um Americans, it's like a Walmart, things where you could buy food, clothes, and big amounts. From I'm on the phone to my cousin, we're talking, just a normal conversation, and all of a sudden a lady comes beside me from nowhere. So imagine I park my car, I'm walking over to the entrance of Tesco, I didn't see her the left or right. She didn't come behind me, she came from the left. She came from the right actually. But whereas I'm walking to the entrance, I didn't see nobody, and then boom, she comes to me and she says, excuse me, and I've I think she says, like, can you buy me some knickers? But I wasn't sure because I'm talking to my cousin on the phone, so I paused and I said, Hold on, cuz. I said, So what did you say? And then she was just like, Can you buy me a pair of knickers? So, which is panties for those or underwear, female underwear. So I said to her, um, sure, no problem. So my cousin was like, What does the lady need? I said, knickers. In that moment, my heart falled. This is a woman's essential, something that we wear every day. Um, it's a basic necessity. So we're walking over to the clothes section, lingerie section. So I assume that she wants to um Tesco have like they've got different styles, but you have get four or five in a pack, and they're normally five pounds. Um, so I I assume that's the one that she wanted because they have different variations. I only had£15 on me that day because I was only getting a couple of things, so I started to add up the things in my head, and I was thinking, okay, I have five to six pounds to spare for her because I only had cash on me that day. So I went over to the panties, the five pounds one, and then she said, No, I don't want those ones. She picked out these fancy seamless Snickers. The first pack that she picked up was£12, and I told her that I couldn't afford that. Then she picked up another two pack which was£9.50, and explained that it would be better for her, period menstrual. That's when judgment came into my head. I thought, not even I would buy myself just two panties for£9.50 or£12, and then I noticed she just had a fresh tattoo done because it still had like the clean film on it. Judgment came in. Now I was thinking, hmm, why do you have a suitcase? I said to her again, I can't afford those options because I only had a small amount of cash and I've already added up the items that I need. So she showed me the two options again. She was just like, Well, these this one is£12 and this one is£9.50. So I then decided it's not really essential again, judging. So I walked off, and even though she was saying, excuse me, I will it's okay, I still walked off because I thought to myself, like, like, you know, and I must say, this is unfiltered. Not saying that I thought I would that I'm better than her, but I was thinking, if you're in need of something, like, wouldn't you accept what I can afford? But again, who am I? We're being real here, we're being truthful. So I went around looking for the things that I needed, and one of the things that I needed was the most expensive. So I picked up the items, but one of the items that I needed, the most expensive one, was our stock. So I went to the checkout, I cashed out, and I still had£10 left of my£20, and I can hear her asking other people, like, excuse me, can you buy me a pair of panties? Like just pulling her suitcase around. The Holy Spirit told me to go back and give her the£10 to help her buy the knickers. But my pride kicked in because right now in London, you have a lot of people that are stealing and reselling. So I was thinking, is she stealing and reselling? Then my mind was just like, Does she have a looker? Is she with somebody? Am I gonna be attacked? All of these things started coming into my head, and then she looked like she was an ex like drug user or um an alcoholic, and then then the positives kicked in like what if she's coming out of rehab, what if she's trying to build herself, she doesn't have anything. All of these things were still coming into my head, but again, even though the Holy Spirit was shouting in my ear, I drove off, and I was on the phone to my cousin saying, Oh, I feel so bad, I feel so so bad. The guilt stayed with me for the whole day, heavy, persistent, humbling. Because it even brought me to a moment that happened to me when I was in my early 20s when I was on the train, and this is years ago, because right now we've got something called an oyster card. I know in New York you have like a card that like represents it's not really a card, it's like a paper thing. I forgot what it's called, like a metro card. It's similar to a metro card because a metro card you just tap and go in and out. And um in Croydon they only had it when you come out, but not to come in. So I tapped my oyster card out, and then when I was traveling to come back to my area, there was no oyster card system, and I put all the money on my oyster card, and I went to um a person who works in the station, and I said, Um, trying to get out, um, but I realized there's no oyster card, and he said, Yeah, they haven't built it yet. Um, he was just like, You would have to buy a ticket, and I said to him, I don't have any cash on me. Um, he was like, There's nothing that we can do, so I remembered that I had like a few coins on my um on my debit card. So when I went, they said it was gonna be like I can't remember, like say for example, I must have had like maybe two or three pounds. So I was thinking, oh, I'm a I'm a student, so it should be like two or three pounds. I think I had that amount, can't remember, because this was the this was the time before um phone banking. Sorry, like the mobile app. Well, I'm all over the place as you can see. Like I'm it's it's really it's it's I feel so guilty, so guilty. So this is before the time of banking apps, um, and there wasn't like no um ATM where I could check to see my balance, so the card declined. I need to get home. I have I don't have any money on my card. I can't get through, even though I have money on my oyster. I had to start begging, and so many people were just looking at me like I was crazy. I was just like, guys, I just need I think it was like maybe five pounds something to get home. Just like I'm trying to get back, I just need a single somebody could buy it, like nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, and I felt so embarrassed, so embarrassed, and then I think it was a a gentleman that helped me. He said, Yeah, sure. Um, and I said, I just need a single, and he um he was purchasing a ticket and he purchased it for me, and I was so grateful, and so that was playing in my mind that you know the reason why you couldn't help her is because you needed to buy the essentials, but the most expensive thing you couldn't get, and why didn't you help her? Because you was gonna spend the money anyway, right? Like it was Yah who gave me the money, so give it back to his children. So that small image stuck with me. Maybe she's been walking around all day with the suitcase, maybe she's been laughed at, maybe she's been embarrassed just to ask. I don't know her story, I only know that I only know what I saw, and the moment my heart was called to do something small and practical. A scripture that came to mind is Hebrew 13 verses 2. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware. I thought about James 2 verses 17. Faith by itself, if it doesn't have works, it is dead. The two together felt heavy. If the Holy Spirit prompts us and we do nothing, what does that say about the faith we claim? It was small, it was simple, but it was an encounter that happened to me outside of the shopping mall or entrance of the supermarket. It reminded me that obedience doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like spending a small amount and giving someone the dignity of clean underwear when they needed it. Sometimes obedience looks like choosing mercy over hesitation when we are tired and scared. I also want to say this: it's okay to wrestle, it's okay to admit, I hesitated, I was depleted, but God meets us in the middle of our messiness. He corrects us, he nudges us, and he uses the small moments to shape us. Another verse that's been with me is Matthew 25, 40. Truly I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of let me say that again. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. If we believe that, then small acts carry kingdom weight. So why am I telling you this on this podcast? Because I want to encourage you when the spirit prompts respond, even if our head gives us reasons not to, even if you're tired, even if you are afraid of being taken advantage of, faith is proven proven in those tiny everyday choices. Before we close, I want to pray with you. Ad and I thank you for the small quiet nudges you send us. Yahuwah, forgive us for the times we let hesitation stop us from showing simple mercy. Give us eyes to see people the way you see them, and hearts that will act. Teach us to obey in small things, to offer dignity and kindness, even when we feel tired, or even when we feel like we know what is best, even though you are our creator. Forgive us where we fall short, where the Holy Spirit may prompt us, and we still choose self. Use our hands today to do one small thing that shows your love to others, kindness and mercy. Many of us choose to not want to help because we are judging. But yeah, any of us could be in that predicament at any given time, especially when we read about the end times. We'll be running to and fro where your word warns us that we hope we don't have to flee in winter. These are the times that these things could happen to us. So help us to change our thought process, our mind process, and to obey when the Holy Spirit prompts us. In Yeshua's name. Amen. If this episode blessed you, share it with a friend. He needs a reminder that small acts matter. If you ever had a moment where God corrected you in public or a tiny thing shifted something big for you, share it with somebody. Ponder on that moment. And I hope you have a brilliant day. And if you want to write in to us, our email address is unfiltered Christian Podcast the number one at gmail.com. Have a blessed day.