THE VOLKSWAGEN LESSON

It was a stormy, rainy day. I was on my way home and driving down Foster in our tired, old Volkswagen. Usually there was more than one thing wrong with our cars. This day, however, the car was running fine. I was, therefore, surprised when the VW sputtered and coughed and stopped in the middle of the street.

Only a second or two passed before the light dawned. I looked at the gas gauge and did not like what I saw. It was on Empty! This was not the first time, nor was it the last. Money was scarce and driving on “E” was pretty normal. Of course, we did our best to avoid running out of gas, but on this particular day, the odds ran out.

Out I got, out into the blustery weather. What else could I do? It was before cell phones and my car was out in the middle of traffic. I didn’t have to put on a forlorn expression. I was forlorn. I appraised the situation and saw that the parked cars along the curb would make for a long push to get out of the way.

Standing by the side of the car, I watched as every single driver waited for the oncoming traffic to let up to make it easy to go around me. It didn’t take very long before I realized that if my car was ever going to be moved off the street and out of the way, it was going to go under my power!

So, as the rain continued to drench me, and still wearing my forlorn face, I opened the driver’s door, and began pushing. It never went very fast, but the first few steps were very hard and very slow. My objective was clear, so I did not waver. Onward I went, cars swinging out safely away from me, and finally, I was able to steer the car into an empty spot.

To tell the truth, I don’t remember what I did after that. Probably, I walked to a phone and called Ken. What I will never forget, however, was how depressing it was to be in on the ordeal all by myself. Probably, too, it was as least partly my own fault that I ran out of gas. While I was pushing the car, past one car, then two, and three, I experienced two very strong emotions: anger at myself for driving on Empty, and resentment that not one person stopped to help me.

So, what did I learn from my VW episode? I learned that it is no fun to have to go through anything alone, my fault or not. From that unpleasant experience came a resolve to pitch in when I saw people “pushing their VW” all alone. When people are going through hard times, their fault or not, they need someone to help push!

I LOVE the story of Ebed-melech and Jeremiah. Read Jeremiah 38. And be sure to find Ebed's name in the next chapter to see what God thinks of those who take care of hurting people!