Hello, all. I hope you all are in good spirits and in good health, as we continue to strive toward excellence. Let’s jump right into it. Enjoy.
There are two things that native Texans have grown to appreciate about their great state. First, the unbearable summer heat has become such a constant factor in Texas, we arrogantly scoff at others when we hear of their unexpected battles with heat waves. I often tell others that Texas has two tempuratures, hot and hot as Hell. There seems to be no in between. And secondly, the unpredictability of its weather has become so common that I once heard a television weatherman just say, “Hey, I don’t know what the weather is gonna be like tomorrow. How about ya’ll call in and tell me what it’s like outside.” Really, I am just kidding about the weatherman comment. But I am extremely serious about the erratic behavior of the weather. While these are two factors that have become quite consistent within the Lone Star State, there are times that these two factors have decided to join together only to unexpectedly produce a summer storm that seems to roll through the city with the crushing force of a two-ton wrecking ball. And while these storms may not be witnessed as often as your typical spring rainshower, the damage that is often left in their wake leaves an imprint on the memory that is difficult to escape.
Recently, in Dallas, there was a storm that struck with such swiftness and magnitude, there was still evidence of its force days later. The sky was dark. Thunder rolling. The winds moved and howled with great force. Unless it was absolutley mandatory, anyone in their right mind would have been crazy to be outside during that time. So, you can imagine my surprise when a good friend of mine requested that I travel to the store with her for a fiendish restock of Diet Coke.
As I reluctantly sat in the passenger side of her cherished Cadillac CTS, I could only wonder about my sanity for allowing her to drag me out in such inclement weather. And as we drove through the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart Supercenter, the peculiarity of my friend’s behavior began to peak my interest. Driving for no less than five minutes, we passed parking space after parking space. Unaware of her intentions, I began to take notice of the many spaces that we were avoiding. And finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, she was content as she comfortably settled into a space almost two hundred yards away from the store entrance. Oh my gosh. It was storming outside and she parked in, what seemed to be, the very last parking space in the lot.
For years, I had watched my friend obsessively do everything in her power to protect her car. First, it was a pickup truck. Then an SUV. And now it was the Cadillac. And for years, regardless of the model of vehicle, I watched her obsessively wipe off every speck of dirt, avoid traffic, and nervously park in the back of every parking lot to protect her precious car. And while this behavior had become a part of her standard routine, surely she would make an exception on this day because of the weather. Surely she would desire to protect herself from the harshness of Mother Nature more than this piece of glorified plastic and steel. But I was wrong. And while I was clearly at a loss for words by her expectations, the disgust expressed on my face was quite apparent.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“You’re kidding right?” I asked sarcastically. “You mean to tell me that you are going to park all the way out here and you want me to run in this weather just to get some Diet Coke? Do you know that there are parking spaces up front?”
“Well, I need a few more things than Diet Coke,” she replied.
“That’s not the point,” I yelled. “Joy, why do you protect your car so much?” I asked.
“Because I work hard to have a nice car and I want to protect it,” she replied as if she expected me to be satisfied with her response. However, disgusted from years of witnessing the same behavior, I couldn’t let the conversation rest.
“But Joy, you don’t even take this much care in yourself. It’s almost as if you treat your car better than yourself. You don’t even have an umbrella and you would rather walk in this terrible weather than park up front. Does that make sense?” I asked inquisitively.
“I guess you’re right,” she admitted. “My car is all I have.”
I understand that it is our nature to protect and take care of those things that we hold in high value. We protect our cars. We lock up our money and our jewels. Some people even provide their pets with better lifestyles than themselves. However, when it comes to protecting or taking care of ourselves, we neglect to do so as if we don’t hold ourselves with the same regard as our material possessions.
Some people will often feed their pets the best food, as they consume unhealthy foods and take on destructive eating habits. Even with today’s gas prices, we will elect to choose what we think are the best grades of gas in hopes of making our cars run better, while we refuse to feed our minds with the spiritual and intellectual truths that will allow us to lead more productive lives. We will even lock up and protect our valuables and jewlry, but refrain from guarding our hearts from the negativity of others, as we persist to engage in relationships that deter us from being the people that God has called us to be. Are we any less valuable than our material possessions? If I don’t tell you anything else, I will tell you this: YOUR CAR IS NOT THE ONLY THING THAT YOU HAVE. YOU ARE VALUABLE. Invest time and resources in yourself. Protect yourself. If you don’t value yourself, no one else will. How valuable are you?
Let me know your thoughts.
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P.S. – The name of the indivual in the above story was changed in honor of anonymity.