Running on empty
On Thursday, I helped Stuart & Lori pack their moving van to move to Ohio. They are moving because they want a yard for Kayla to play in while she grows up, and because it’s cheaper to live there.
I did not have enough gas to drive back from their old house.
See, my ‘new’ car has one flaw; namely that the gas gauge almost always gets stuck at the one-quarter tank mark. But it didn’t get stuck this time, and being a guy, I thought I’d tempt fate a bit by driving half-way to D.C. and back (which is where they lived).
Just after getting on the highway, I decided I’d better get gas, since the engine was — shall we say — sputtering a bit. It’s a nice interchange there, and after you get on the highway, you can get right back off again if you want to.
I coasted into the gas station.
This has happened to me three times now. One would think I’d know better.
And of course the gas tank was on the other side of the car. My old car had it in the back, behind the license plate, where the only problems would occur when I would forget to flip the plate back up and subsequently get pulled over by the POLICE, who only wanted to make sure I really did have legal plates on the car.
Exciting, to say the least. Fortunately, I was able to start the car twice more to maneuver it around to another gas pump. The gas pump had a little digital display that didn’t display anything, although the gallon and price displays worked. So I just kept pushing ‘Yes’ until it started dispensing. And when my receipt printed, I discovered I’d also bought a $4 car wash. But by then I was too annoyed (and relieved) to care.
Speaking of license plates, I got to keep the same plates Dad had on the car, which made the whole title transfer only $33. Tim was mad because he had to pay lots and lots for the plates on his car. But at least this way there was no risk of clever not-so-subliminal messages.
Application:
Typing the title of this post suddenly made me think about running on empty spiritually. One can’t expect to go places with the Lord if we’re not fueling up on His Word, regularly spending time with Him.
I should take my own advice.
4 Comments