One Sunday Afternoon on my way home from a friends house....It was raining cats and dogs, I mean I could hardly see ahead through my windshield. My wipers couldn't wade the water away fast enough. Then all of a sudden it seemed like heaven tried to power wash my windows because there was a sudden gush of water on my windshield. I hit the emergency brakes, not beneficial. My car hydroplaned for a few feet, I swerved towards the curb. After what seemed like eternity, it was really a fraction of a minute, my car finally came to a stop. My heart was beating rapidly, I mean I thought I was going to die. I stopped soon enough to see this driver in a brand new Camry, latest model. He had swooshed right past me, I promise you....you'd have thought the rain was invisible to him...and off course a small flood was already collecting on the roads...given the momentum at which he ran past the waters...he managed to give me an unsolicited car wash.
Offended is an understatement to my sentiments...try adding insulted, degraded and maybe just maybe we can mitigate a Verb. In my world this driver felt so high and mighty hence their reason to drive past little drivers like myself and gush water on them. My thoughts; chances are he was oblivious of what had just happened. He just rolled along minding his own business. An act of road rage would have seemed acceptable...but of course my Christian banner displayed so gallantly on a bumper sticker represented a different message not to mention the one on my heart. So I bit the bullet and held my tongue. Instead I got myself back on course and followed the rest of traffic. My mantra, "Keep Calm and Carry on!"
All the way home I couldn't help but think about this driver. I questioned why a person would display such arrogance. Somehow in our minds we feel that when a person with better education, a better lifestyle crosses you, they do it with the intention of spiting you. My perception of this person was they intentionally committed this act against me so they could show off their car. I drove a beat up Honda Civic, 1992 model to be precise. This was back in 2010 so this car has been on the road for almost 20 years since the time of manufacture, the speedometer did not even work. Go figure, road rage was actually jealous rage. I questioned God, in a short prayer I asked Him, "Why is it that none-believers are more blessed than we are?" I had made the decision that this person couldn't possibly be a Christian. Apparently godly people are deprived. There is no way they live high quality lives. I laugh at my then ignorance, in my defense I was a young Christian.
A Scripture came to mind right after finishing this prayer, If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country how will you manage the thickets by the Jordan" Jeremiah 12:5 (NIV).
Almost immediately it came back to memory, I had owned my car for two almost three years and not even once had I taken my car in for an oil change. What would be surprising is that I still had a car. Any mechanic would tell you I should have had a knocked engine by then. What can I say, my car must have been a Christian because it was riding on faith. How on earth did I expect God to give me a better-high maintenance car, when I was being so horrible with my current older-low maintenance car. What God was communicating in this moment was clear. It was a matter of trust. How can I trust you in bigger and better things if you display incompetence in the little you currently have. Needless to say I was embarrassed but I began to learn "The Art of Good Stewardship".
To be Continued...
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