Yesterday, though, I took it to the streets, or pumps, I should say! As a promotion for our business and the new partnership between Shell and Kroger we gave away gasoline to those who came through from 10:30 to 12:00. It was crazy! A local radio station, Red Bull, and several others were out at the event as well. The weather was perfect and we got our picture with Kevin Harvick's Nascar car!!!
The station has 16 pumps; so for one and half hours I manned Pump #9. Now I know that pumping gas for complete strangers does not sound like a lot of fun. But I am here to tell you that it was one of the best experiences I've had in a long time. Seriously!
The Lord calls us to serve others and to have a servant's heart. We can serve in so many ways: holding open a door, staying late to help finish a project, reaching out to someone in need, to name a few. And that's exactly what we did yesterday; we served others. Sometimes it is hard, though, to serve others with a smiling face. We've all been there. You go to help someone pick up their spilled bookbag and receive little to no thanks. You go the extra mile to fix a problem only to receive angry customers in return. BUT, you also will come across that person who is in the darkest of places and your simple act of kindness makes their day.
After an hour of pumping I had seen the whole spectrum of customers: expectant, thankful, distracted and cheerful. At 11:32, however, I had a lady pull up in her minivan. This lady made my whole day worth it. With tears in her eyes she told me that she had $60 in her checking account to last her for the week. I noticed 2 car seats in the back and can only imagine what $35 worth of free gas could buy for her family. Another spurt of tears and emotions flooded over when, after starting to get out of her car to pump her gas, I asked her to sit back down and let me pump it for her. I wanted to hug her so bad and just talk to her but with cars backing up I had to let her drive off. Her gratefulness stayed with me, though. See, I had a hand in giving her something that wasn't even mine to begin with and that meant more to her than anything else possibly could have at that moment.
This is exactly how God works. He uses us, His servants, to pass along His free gift of eternal life. It's not always easy, it's not always glamerous, and it certainly isn't always the 'cool' thing to do. But it's the right thing to do; it's what Jesus has called us to do.
Colossians 3:23-24 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an interitance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (NIV)
You never know who's life you're touching or who is watching you for an example. Let's look around and see who we might serve today.
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