Life Lesson from Pumping Gasoline
Posted by nathan on 21 Dec 2007 | Tagged as: my life., thoughts on god., thoughts on life.
Every morning, Emily and I leave for work at the same time. I have a one-minute commute, or a seven-minute walk (I am not walking through the winter though), and Emily has a 35-40 minute commute.
Needless to say, Emily uses much more gasoline in her car than I do in mine. I try to do most of her gasoline fill-ups, but sometimes she gets gas in Fort Wayne without letting me know she needs gas.
This morning on the way to work, Emily needed gas, so we stopped at our local S & S Express, and I pumped gas for her. I went in to pay as Emily drove off. The young lady behind the counter said, ‘You always pump gas for her, don’t you?’
I said, ‘Not always, but I do try to.’
‘I think that’s so cute,’ she said.
‘Sometimes she gets it without asking me, but when it’s cold outside, I especially like getting it for her.’
‘I think it’s so cute you two get along so well.’
…
As I left, those words stuck with me…’you two get along so well.’
I think that is key to making any marriage work. You have to do what the other person wants, even when you don’t want to. I don’t particularly enjoy standing out in 20-degree weather pumping gasoline, but when I do it instead of my wife, I am making a sacrifice for her, and she knows it. I gladly make that sacrifice for my wife.
She doesn’t like pumping gas ever, and when she can get a replacement to do it for her, she is indebted to her replacement, and she serves me well.
The thing is, this is just like what Jesus did for us–he was the replacement sacrifice for all we deserve for our screw ups and mess ups. Jesus made a sacrifice for us, do we serve him well?
Popularity: 13%
2 Comments »
on 21 Dec 2007 at 11:56 am 1.
Todd Helmkamp said …
That’s awesome that you pump gas for PE!! My wife still gets up 15 minutes early every morning to pack my lunch without me even asking her too, when I could easily do it myself! So sad that most people who are married no longer understand that sacrifice and service is the core of a happy marriage….
on 22 Dec 2007 at 12:05 am 2.
Charlie said …
Not only is it what Jesus did for us, but it’s a great example of the sort of love husbands and wives are called to have for each other — serving one another, thinking more highly of your spouse than you do of yourself. It seems like a simple thing you’re doing, Nathan, but it speaks volumes about what following Jesus looks like.
I’m new to your blog and enjoying it. Merry Christmas!