Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20
It was one strange bouquet of emotions. It was the end of good Sunday. We had a great day at church and after a good nap we headed down to Paducah to return a lawn mower. We had ordered the mower online and when it arrived it was damaged…of course. Well, that meant borrowing something big enough to haul it back to the store. About that time our Paducah tribe came to the rescue with their SUV. They hauled it there and we drove down to finish the return and of course see the family.
We headed to the store that we had ordered it from, returned it, and then celebrated with a trip to Cold Stone. It was awesome and of course, Papa had to taste the flavors the three grandsons had ordered…as well my daughter’s. After all the eating and sampling, we headed on back to Harrisburg. Judy, my wife, was a little hungry so I told her we would whip in and buy some diesel and then swing into McDonald’s. It was a plan. When we got back in town, I pulled into the station and began to fill up the Jetta. It was just about then that things went…south.
I decided to clean the windshield since we were there and there must have been something in the water because it was a mess. Usually, they use plain water but there was nothing plain about this stuff. While I was trying to get that off the windshield, a man at the other side of pump started talking to me. Well, between his not too clear speech and my not too good hearing, there was a lot of nodding and agreeing to things that I probably didn’t agree with. Well, honestly after a while, it was time to draw this conversation to a close. So, with a bit of frustration about the stuff on the windshield and the too long conversation with my friend, I finally said, “See you later.”
I walked back to the driver’s side, opened the door, cranked the engine, and proceeded to drive off. About 1.5 seconds after the car started moving there was a very discomforting noise from the back of the car. I can’t describe it, but I knew exactly what had happened. I had totally forgotten the nozzle was still in the car and as I drove off…it didn’t come with me. Well, I immediately stopped and then circled back around not knowing what to expect. Had the nozzle ripped part of the car off? Was fuel spilling on the ground? Had the fuel hose been torn from the pump? It was not a good moment and there were plenty of emotions rolling around in my mind.
The short list included being frustrated that the guy had distracted me, anger at myself for forgetting that the nozzle was still attached to the car, and a big dose of embarrassment. Oh, and there was one more big emotion…gratitude. It was like a bouquet of weeds and a rose. You see, amazingly, while the hose was laying on the ground, it was not spewing fuel nor was it broken. Also, the car really had no damage to speak of. There were no dents, no dings, and not even a scratch. One small part of the filler thing was pulled loose but that really wasn’t important. Amazing.
First, I know I probably need to turn in my “man card” for having done this. If I have said it once, I have said it twenty-five times, “I can’t believe I did that.” And honestly, it is all on me. My long-winded friend was not to blame, and I had no right to be frustrated about the windshield either. Nope…it was my fault. But here is the part I love. This is the part that forced me to write this story when I would have much more rather kept it off the page. What forced me to write was my overwhelming sense of gratitude for my Dearest Daddy watching out for His child. I mean this could have been nasty, but He had it all under control. I can even say “thank-you” for this because I would have missed the blessing of His kindness if it hadn’t had happened.
Well, like the song says, “He is a good, good Father.” Hans Christian Andersen said, “The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.” He is so right. Our world is filled with love notes from a God that loves His creation dearly. How incredible is that? Paul wrote in the New Testament part of the Bible, “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, whatever we do, whatever happens, believe He is in control and be sure and give Him thanks. I know more than ever that whatever it is, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 