God is a God of ordinary days...

so i was at the gas station today, and as i was watching a million dollars fly out of the pump (doesn't it really feel like that nowadays?) i realized that my tires could use a little air. i drive my car over to the air and water pump, and paid 75 cents for the air i breathe. but it didn't start. so i go in, ask him to turn it on, and with a glare he does. but then the hose was stuck, i couldn't get it to go more than three feet. so i go in again, and kindly explain to the man that the hose is stuck and i cant get it out, and after staring at me with a blank look and a shrug of the shoulders, a man in line offers to help me out.
as you read that, was your first thought, "run away, quick, don't trust him!" mine sure was. he was an hispanic middle-aged man who has worked with his hands in the sun his whole life. and im pretty sure he was missing a few teeth. my instinct was to slam the door shut and peel out, but i fought it, and said, okay, as my feet were already following him out the door. my brain was doing battle, do i trust him or not? i always felt like, in the situation, i would rather hurt someones feelings by being guarded and not trusting them, rather than get myself into major trouble, but when i was faced with reality, i decided to choose the path of Jesus, and do unto others. i decided i was going to trust him, because even though i live in the middle of the valley, it was broad daylight and there were a million cars in line. and if i wanted to help someone out, i would want them to trust me.
so he helps me get the hose unstuck, and insists on filling my tires for me. now my first thought was, "he wants money." how pathetic of me. he didn't, of course, but if he did, shouldn't i be able to offer a few dollars to a kind gentleman helping out a lady? he was very nice, and when i called him sir he protested, saying it made him feel old. when the air ran out before we were finished, he went in and insisted that the air get turned back on, without me having to pay anything. he said that for as much business as he gives them (i wonder how many cars he has?), they can do him a favor too. and they did. a bit petulantly, if you ask me, but what can you expect from a gas station attendant? im sure with the price of gas today his customers as less than thrilled when they see him, so really, who can blame him entirely? he got the air turned on twice more for me, i would have had to pay $2.25 for stupid AIR otherwise. im fully against the idea of having to pay for air, it sounds so ridiculous i can hardly get the sentence out. anyway, the man helps me, saves me a dollar, and all ends well. as i was driving away, i was thinking about who i am, the kind of person who instantly judges someone by the stories they've heard, and is on guard at all times. i don't want people to be on guard when they are around me, so shouldn't i show trust to others? how else are we going to change this world?
the bible says that the only way people will know we are "christians" is by our love. i hope that today i showed a little bit more faith to one man than he probably gets in a month. (i use " " around christians, because i hesitate to use that word to define myself...this is a whole 'nother blog...historically christians haven't done a very good job showing jesus to people, but rather making them run farther away, and i don't want to be like that. i don't want to be associated with hellfire and brimstone protestors, soap-box preachers, and televangelists that only want your money. im not trying to speak ill of them, because they have a message too, but i am saying that i am a person of love, or i desire to be, and that, above all else, is what i want to shine through.)

as i was on the freeway, on my way home from running errands, an older black suburban drove by me. now, you know how you can by those stupid fake bullet holes to put on your car? well, this guy had a bunch on his, only...they were real!!! real bullet holes!!! it was not the most pleasant of images, but i did find a little irony that on the 118 i saw what most people see on the news. well.