Good Samaritans

Back a couple months ago, I was scheduled to be a vendor at a two-day art show in St. Petersburg. I went to my car on Sunday morning & lo and behold...I had a COMPLETELY flat tire. There happened to be a gas station a few blocks from my place, so I drove very slowly to the gas station, hoping to inflate the tire and drive to the show. Of course, their air machine was out of order.

Plan B - change the tire. Not my favorite thing to do, but I started unpacking everything from my car so I could get to my spare tire. While I was doing this, a local homeless man who I had seen at this particular gas station before offered to help me change the tire...I graciously accepted, as I had to get to the show by a certain time. I had never unearthed the spare in my current vehicle, as I never had a flat since I owned it. When I finally dug out the spare, I couldn't find the jack. Being a Sunday morning at a relatively busy gas station, there were quite a few people stopping to get gas, dressed (it appeared) to go to church. I asked quite a few different "church-going" men if they had a jack in their car that I could use to change my tire...not one of them would help me. After a while, the man who did offer to help me stated that he had to go because he was getting a meal at the local shelter, so I thanked him for the offer to help. I continued to search through my car and finally found the jack after finding the manual buried in the glove box of my car. I asked a couple more people who stopped...again, no luck. I guess getting to church was more important than helping someone with a problem.

Finally, a car that had passed on the street turned around and pulled up. A young guy stepped out and offered to help. He had a bottle of the tire-fixing spray in his car, and although he put half a can in the tire, it didn't work. So he set to work on changing the tire, and asked if he could use my cell phone to call his wife to let her know he had stopped to help me. He told me he was on his way back from spending the night in the hospital with his grandfather, and his wife would be worried if he didn't get home soon, as he had told her when he was leaving the hospital. I let him use the phone, I talked to his wife for a moment (thanking her for letting me "borrow" her husband), and he changed the tire in a couple of minutes. I thanked him profusely, and told him about all the people who refused to even try to help me with the problem. He and I agreed that there are many people out there in the world who like to talk the talk about being righteous and religious, but when it comes down to it they do not follow the "WWJD" concept.

Just my little take on the "Good Samaritan" parable...thanks to the two gentlemen who offered their help that Sunday. You are appreciated and will not be forgotten.