Paying it Forward

The other day I was driving the company truck northward on busy I95 along the Delaware river. My co-worker, Matt and I, were in deep discussion when I noticed that the gas pedal was no longer working properly. The more I pressed, the slower we went. A quick glance at the gas gauge gave the reason why. I had run out of gas! Besides feeling foolish, I was also very concerned about how to get out of this stupid situation. Time to offer a quick prayer! "Ok God! How are you going to show us your favor in this mess?"

I guided the powerless vehicle onto the shoulder of the road. It was a construction zone, so the shoulder area was not very generous. But a construction crew was working just on beyond the barriers. Matt suggested that they might have some gas we could use. We sheepishly walked over to where they were working and asked one of the big, burly workers if perhaps he could help us in our predicament. "Certainly!" he said and walked over to the construction trailer, picked up a gas can. He grabbed one of those big water bottles and dumped about 5 gallons of gas into the bottle through a funnel. He capped the bottle and offered it to us.

"Oh! We also will need a funnel," I noted with chagrin. "And I left my wallet in the truck!"

"No problem!" he smiled. "Pay it forward!"

I noted that his wife was going to wonder what the burn mark around the top of his head was caused by. But perhaps halos don't leave scars! Ten minutes later, with the gas emptied into the truck's tank, we were pulling back onto the Interstate and waving a fond goodbye to our angel of the morning. God's favor indeed!

The phrase, "pay it forward," is an attempt to turn a single act of generosity into a chain reaction of compassion for others. God has a way of paying it forward for us. Of course, we all know the many verses like "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." But we need to recognize that even everyday blessing should be daily reminders to always be looking for ways to pass those blessings onward. The other day the water heater went out at our rental property. I called the plumber and he installed a new heater. When I got the bill, I was shocked! It was much different than what I was prepared to pay! It was much lower! An opportunity had just presented itself. I could use the difference between what the bill was and what I had been ready to pay to give that money to the renter as a Christmas gift. I knew she had been struggling with life and finances and what better way to show appreciation during this season.

James 4:3 warns us, " When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." Not only do we often spend what we get on our own pleasures; we often also spend what we save the same way. Recognizing that all earnings and blessings are gifts from God, positions us so that we can receive even more of his blessings. Not allowing God's blessings to find a dead end in our pockets, leads us into a life of generosity. Paying it forward keeps the blessings flowing.