My favourite part of the day is when my husband tells me a story. Usually it's something new, something that's just happened to him that day or happened that week. Quite often I will hear him tell an old story to a whole new group of people. I know where all the punch lines are, where he will pause for effect and how it will end, and still I love to hear it like it was the first time.
There are so many of his stories I could share with you but today let me tell you his latest one.
Tony had just dropped me off at the grocery store and went to park and wait as I quickly grabbed a few things. Not long after he parked he watched a lady pull in and park just in front of him. This in itself wasn't unusual, what was unusual was that she parked right beside the exact same car...same colour, same model, same everything. Just a few minutes after that, another lady came out and walked to her car. Tony watched with increasing interest as she walked to the car that had just parked. She got out her keys and proceeded to unlock "her" car. Of course the key didn't work. So she walked to the passenger side. That didn't work either. Let's try the hatch. Nope. By now she's getting noticably frustrated so Tony decides to end her frustration. He rolls down his window and says to her quite nicely, "Maybe that isn't your car." Much to his surprise she barks at him, "I think I know my own car!!!" OK then.
So he decides to just sit back and watch the show for a while. The lady has now got out her cellphone. Who she decides to call is a mystery but whoever they are, they are getting an earful. Tony sat with the windows rolled up and he could hear her quite distinctly. The whole time she's on the phone, yelling at the poor soul on the other end, she is continuing to try her keys in every lock.
At this point Tony can't stand it anymore. He decides to give it one more try. This time he gets out of the van and walks up to her and gets in her face. "Lady! he says, "that's not your car." He points at the other car which she has amazingly not seen this whole time. "That's your car!"
She is silent, her tirade suddenly over and then proceeds to get very red in the face. Without another word she gets into the right vehicle this time and speeds away. Not a word of apology or thanks. It's a miracle that she didn't take out a few people on her race to get out of there.
I laughed when Tony told me this story and then I thought how sad it was, that she didn't accept the help and advice when it was freely first offered to her. How many times in our lives does God freely offer His help and advice and we bluster back, "I can do it myself!" How many times will he have to get in my face before I pay attention.
