I was visiting a friend in Duluth during our college years. I had taken a bus there and somehow had gotten to the college without any fanfare. Perhaps she found a way to get me a ride. Nevertheless, when it was time to leave for home, I was on my own and decided to take a taxi. I had never been in a taxi in my life and this felt like a great step toward becoming independent and worldly wise.
The taxi came and when I got in, I told the driver to take me to the Greyhound Bus Station please, as if I had been in taxis all my life. Yawn. Then I noticed the meter. I had only $5.00 to my name and to my shock, the meter was ticking upward at a fast pace and even in my gross naïveté, I could tell that $5.00 wasn’t going to get me to the station. I got hot and cold all over trying to figure out what I would do when he dropped me off in the middle of nowhere. I dropped my casual air and nervously told the drive how much money I had. “How close will that get me to the station?” I asked with a slight quaver in my voice. “Not very close,” he said, sounding a little exasperated.
Even now I can remember the inward state of panic that came over me at the thought of having to wander this city alone without any money even to make a phone call and having no idea how to get to the bus station. How could I have been so incredibly stupid, I was asking myself. All sense of adventure was gone and I began bracing myself for the inevitable ordeal.
But I had not counted on the taxi driver’s kindness. “I’m going to drop you off at the station anyway,” he said, “because I can’t just leave you at the side of the road somewhere. But you shouldn’t count on that – I know other drivers that would drop you off and not think twice about it. You need to be more careful.” I nearly cried at this unexpected show of mercy and I thanked the man profusely and often. I have no doubt that he was a father; he not only treated me as if I were his daughter, he also gave me fatherly counsel and advice. Bless the man!
I had thought to become more worldly wise, but instead I gained a different kind of wisdom, the kind that comes with being humbled and shown undeserved mercy.
“When pride comes, then comes shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2
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The meter’s running…time to delete.
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What an awful feeling to not have enough money to get by-not even for a phone call!
I remember being at a church camp without any extra money and being SO hungry waiting for the next meal but not being able to afford to purchase anything. I’m quite certain that I also didn’t have any money with me (except perhaps a dime for a phone call) when I went on that “Walk for Mankind” mentioned a few weeks ago. I guess we didn’t spend money as easily as we do now.
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So true!
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