Day 13

 

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse

 

 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

 

 

Hebrews 13:8

 

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong? You have plans and you envision certain things happening and somehow you are sent down some alternative path that takes bizarre twists and turns you could never imagine.

 

It was Saturday  and I needed to get my car inspected. It was already past due and I didn't want to risk being caught with an expired inspection sticker. Normally the odds of being pulled over in a big city for a late inspection sticker are pretty slim, but I had a date that night which meant I had to drive through a little incorporated village that the city of Houston had surrounded. That little village had a police force that was known for pulling over young men with long hair, which was exactly what I was.

 

The place I usually got my car inspected was closed, so I went to the local mall where there was a Montgomery Ward with an automotive department. My plan was to get my car inspected in the morning, come home for an afternoon off and then go to my girlfriend's for our date. That was the plan but that was not what happened.

 

I got to Montgomery Ward not long after it opened and asked to get my car inspected and they informed me that there was a few cars ahead of me so it would be about an hour. Hanging around the mall for an hour was not problem, so I went window shopping for an hour and came back.

 

I was told that they hadn't got to my car yet, so I settled down in their waiting room and began to watch a Marx Brothers movie on TV. I checked on the car periodically and they kept saying, "a little longer."

 

I was young and had long hair and it wasn't the first time I thought I was being treated unfairly because of my appearance. I waited patiently, watched the whole Marx Brothers movie, had lunch and waited some more.

 

After 6 hours they finally got to my car. I watched them inspect it and though everything was fine. However, I was told my car hadn't passed inspection because a rear tail light did not come on. They offered to fix it for me and charge me for it and then my car would pass inspection. I opened my trunk and found that the light had somehow come unplugged (perhaps their doing, I don't know). I plugged it in and said, "Now it works. Can I get my inspection sticker?"

 

"No," the guy said. I didn't work when I inspected it, so you don't pass. That will be $6.00"

 

I went ballistic. You mean to tell me you are going to charge me $6.00 when I waited here 6 hours to get my car inspected and you flunked it even though there is nothing wrong?"

 

"Yes," he said. "That will be $6.00."

 

"No way," I told him. "There is no way I am ever going to pay you a penny." I grabbed my keys, jumped in the car and left. I never shopped at Montgomery Ward again, and it is probably the loss of my business that made them go bankrupt.

 

When I got home I was boiling over mad and had just enough time to get cleaned up and head for my girlfriend's. I walked in the door and my mom asked, "Where have you been all day?"

 

It was an innocent enough question, but it was the wrong question. I slammed the kitchen counter so hard with my fist that a glass jumped off and shattered on the floor. I lost the feeling in a couple of my fingers for a few days. I took a shower, got dressed and cautiously headed for my girlfriend's. I thought at least the day would end all right.

 

I got to my girlfriend's house and rang the doorbell. She opened the door and started crying. "My parents wont let me see my best friend anymore. They say she is a bad influence. My parents hate her!"

 

I was being tortured as she cried on my shoulder. I had my own reasons for not liking the girl. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, it had.

 

We all have days like that. There are times when it is hard to believe that things could go so wrong. The good news is that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." He is our constant companion through the good and the bad and for all eternity. He will always be the same loving, caring Savior that you came to know that first day you were saved. When all else fails he will be constant and true.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Hebrews 13:5-8

 

• Why can we be content?
• How can we not be afraid?
• Who are we to imitate and take courage from?