I handed him the key with a fake smile on my face.
My friend’s husband had asked to borrow my car to run a quick errand while my friend and I were on our regular coffee date. We were a one-income family at the time, and money was tight. I barely had enough gas to make it home before payday. So I chewed my nails and prayed, turning my attention to the small children at our feet as my friend and I continued our visit.
Our children are grown now. My friend and I now get together for meals because we can afford to eat in restaurants. We share grandmother stories and have even traveled together. We talk about old times and new experiences. It is easy to look faithful when things are going well. When your tank is full and you have money in the bank, lending feels super spiritual.
As we talked one day, my friend shared a touching story. One night, as she and her husband left Walmart, a man approached, asking if he could have a few dollars for a tube for his bicycle tire. My husband told him to wait right there. She assumed her husband was going to buy a tube. But instead, he bought him a brand-new bike. When the stranger saw it, he cried and kept thanking them. Additionally, this was during COVID when bikes were in limited supply.
My friend and her husband have seen the guy around town on the bike they bought him. And how did I make it home years ago when my friend’s husband borrowed my car and I had no gas money? He filled the tank.
Has God blessed you? If so, whose tank can you fill? Perhaps, you can buy a bike for someone.
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Theresa Parker Pierce lives in historic Salisbury, North Carolina, where she enjoys spending time with family and friends. She has thirty-five years of experience in teaching reading and history. Theresa has a master’s degree in education and is National Board certified. As a two-time Rowan Salisbury Teacher of the Year, Theresa enjoys storytelling about her childhood in eastern North Carolina and giving tours in Rowan County. Her manuscript, Up Dunn's Mountain, won first place for Young Adult Literature at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. She is a member of Word Weavers International. A historic docent, Theresa shares her volunteer time between the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer and the Rowan Museum in Salisbury. With a closet full of costumes, Theresa dresses in period attire and is a toastmaster who speaks to historic groups, senior citizens, and her favorite children.