The Price of Gas
She’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes, she’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes . . . Guys, I have a confession, and it’s going to sound pretty silly and absent minded. Bear with me, and yep that’s proper grammar, and not in reference to an actual bear like Yogi, who knew? Thanks google.
Lets set the scene. It’s dark and cloudy, 7 o’clock in the evening, the sound of rain drops and your windshield wipers are in rhythm, it’s bumper to bumper traffic on Option Street, and taking 4 minutes per mile (you have 13 miles to go, 52 minutes total) and you need gas, like now, because you’ve clearly not been filling up when you’re at half. The gas station sits at the busy intersection of Option and Green Avenue, and this is a regular stop. I did all of that, and some…
I pull into the gas station from Option Street making a right. I fill up and normally, I always pull out onto Green Avenue, but I always need to get back on Option Street to get home. So I go down Green until an intersection with a light, turn onto the random side street, turn around on that random side street, so I can get back on Green to go the opposite direction, so I can turn back onto Option. **Please note** It’s too busy for an illegal u-turn.
Now, if you’re wondering, why don’t I just circle around at the gas station and simply make a right onto Option, you’re not alone, I’m wondering the same thing! As much as I’m laughing at myself, I’m semi appalled. It only took me going to this gas station 10 plus times to see that my car doesn’t have to go in the direction it’s pointed, and there’s a wonderful gear called reverse.
But what prompted this genius breakthrough moment? It was actually another problem that brought the solution.
It was raining in LA! If you don’t live here, let me explain that rain in LA is normally (98% of the time) a steady sprinkling, that receives the attention of a torrential downpour, and is an acceptable reason to cancel plans and stay indoors. (Video at the end) Back to the breakthrough…
The traffic was extra heavy due to the rain, and I knew it would have taken forever to do my driving routine to get back to Option Street. So I started thinking and problem solving, and yes, genius innovation struck.
Now this solution has always been here. Why hadn’t I accessed it, is the part I’m interested in.
How often do we continue to go out of our way, and work around problems, versus solving them? Or maybe we’re not even looking for a solution, because we’ve accepted the problem as final, and it’s just something we have to deal with. Or maybe we never even saw ‘it,’ as a problem. Perhaps there’s a better way, or the solution is simpler, than we know/think, and we need a perspective shift.
All in all, I learned something valuable today, and it’s definitely made me laugh and think, what else could I be doing the hard way?
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6 NIV
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 NLT
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5,6 NIV
“Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” – Psalm 50:15 NLT
“I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” – Mark 11:23, 24 NLT
“ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
