was working on the I/S when

[macdoesit]

    a gentleman 40-45 walked in my shop 1 hr ago with a small gas can, he ran out on west bound I-40 east of OK city. He walked about 1200 feet north across a field to the road i live on which is a dead end. He went to 3 of my neighbors before me, they barely opened their door he said and they acted scared and would not help, in the 12 years I been here no problems of any kind. We don't even get trick or treaters on this road. I explained this was a dead end road and not but 6 houses on this road so everybody is suspicious of anyone that does not live here. He knocked on my house door my wife thought I locked myself out so she just opened the door scared her and our pit bull started growling and scared the man, wife got the dog back inside with her, told the man I was in the shop. Took him to get gas he was raunchy looking and had an oder. After we got back to his car I told him I would follow to gas station and told him to take first exit we come to. I was going to see how much gas he put in,if not very much I was going to fill it up, he had Texas tags in Oklahoma city, anyway when we came to the exit for gas he didn't exit. Hope he made it to where ever? I had a good feeling about the guy, just down on luck. Glad I was home he would have had about a 20 mile round trip walk at night.

[macdoesit]

I could kick myself!!!!!

I should have ask if he had gas money, that is why he did not take the exit. He never ask for money or gas. I should have known.

[pBrain]

"...whatever you do for the least of my flock..."

You did everything you had to.  Good for you.... 

[Chiefy]

Not related, but it jogged a memory.  Years ago I packed up the family and we moved from So. Cal. to Florida.  I had rented a truck for the furniture.  I wasn't familiar with the truck or the flaky gas gauge.  Out in the desert it seemed like running out of gas was imminent.  Made it to a busy rest stop, where I proceeded to make the rounds of everyone that was towing Jet skies, boats, motorcycles, etc.  I was offering to pay a good bit more then what a gas station charges for a few gallons of gas.  Okay, if you can't part with it you can't.  But I couldn't get over the sneers and looks of disgust I got.  It seems like folks weren't listening, just decided I was a pan handler.  LOL  I reluctantly approached a guy with a shaved head and numerous skull/crossbones tattoos.  (Don't judge me on that.  At that time, that look was quite intimidating.)  LOL he was the one who helped me.  He poured in about 4 gallons of gas, and I gave him some money.  He gave me more gas because he didn't want to make money helping someone out.

Really changed my mind about judging a book by its' cover.  The punchline is that after I got back on the interstate, there was a gas station about a mile down the road, and there was plenty of gas left anyway because of the flaky gas gauge.

Done rambling.  Me and mama are heading out for a ride here shortly.

[Mofla]

So guilty of judging, yet I hate to be !!! The bible verse says it all !!
God bless your good deeds !!!

[steve 3054]

    I was always scared not to help in situations like this, I always think it is Jesus out for a stroll checking on me...   

[B]

Well done Woodwizard. 
Yep... Matt 25:40.

B
CMA #154

[texaninsouthfl]

There are times we all of are in need of an angel ... then there are others when we ourselves are called to be fill the roll.   

[czuch]

Dad said;
 "A man is judged by how he treats those who can do nothing for him".
Miss ya Dad.

[macdoesit]

Dad said;
 "A man is judged by how he treats those who can do nothing for him".
Miss ya Dad.

 

[Westernbiker]

    I was always scared not to help in situations like this, I always think it is Jesus out for a stroll checking on me...   

Me too Steve........and He is! 

[Hoser]

I saw a fella gassing his car at a convienience store one day, over heard him talking to his kids that he needed all the money he had to get home to Denver, so they had to wait till they got home to eat supper.  This was in Hays, Ks, about 200 miles east of Denver.  When he took the younguns in to the rest room, I bought a bucket of chicken and a half gallon of milk and put in the seat of his car, jumped on the Fatlady and headed east to Topeka. Smiled all the way home.   Hoser   You done good, Woody.

[bigguy]

Woody:

I've done that too. Thought of something I should have done afterward. But the thing is, your heart was open. If there had been something more the Lord wanted done, he'd have helped you think of it at the time. We'll never know just what the ultimate plan is, so just have to trust that if our hearts are open, he'll lead us down the right path.  It could well be that you gave that man exactly the right amount of gas to get to where the Lord had plans for him. But we'll probably never know. All we need to know in these situations is that we did our part by being willing to follow his instructions.
In any case, I'd say you can sleep easy. It sure sounds to me like you were a man being where the Lord wanted him, when the Lord wanted him, doing what the Lord asked him. The rest is up to the Lord.

[Robert]

Woody:

I've done that too. Thought of something I should have done afterward. But the thing is, your heart was open. If there had been something more the Lord wanted done, he'd have helped you think of it at the time. We'll never know just what the ultimate plan is, so just have to trust that if our hearts are open, he'll lead us down the right path.  It could well be that you gave that man exactly the right amount of gas to get to where the Lord had plans for him. But we'll probably never know. All we need to know in these situations is that we did our part by being willing to follow his instructions.
In any case, I'd say you can sleep easy. It sure sounds to me like you were a man being where the Lord wanted him, when the Lord wanted him, doing what the Lord asked him. The rest is up to the Lord.

I agree, also you did more than all the people on your block. I would say ask the Lord if you did enough. Ask why did he find you. Its great when the Lord tells you things like this.

[R J]

Back when I was a rookie on the Patrol, I was filling mom's car up and this little AMC pulled in in front of me and backed up to the pump.

Saw her reach in her pocket and drag out some change.    One of her kids wanted something to eat.   She put exactly $.64 in the tank.   While she was gone I put my hose in her tank and filled it up.   Took the $$$ into the attendant and he had a bunch of hot dogs on the wire roller.     She came out of the bathroom, I was in Uniform, and asked her to come over to me.

I asked her how many kids she had in the car, she said 3, I asked if her and the kids liked Hot Dogs.    She said yes, I said okay, grab 8 of them and I'll pay for them.

Asked her where she was headed, she said Reno, my folks live there.    I asked he how much gas that little car would take to get her to Reno.    She said the small amount of gas I put in it will only get me out to about the 1st rest area.

I then told her I filled it up while she was in the station.   She said it would take another tank to make Reno.    This was when gas was $.329.   I gave her $20.00 and told her to spend it on gas and whatever else she needed.........

2 months later my Captain called me into the office.    There set that young lady and a gentleman and a woman.   Found out they were her parents.    Her dad had told my Captain what I had done.   Captain gave me my 1st promotion.   Young lady gave me a big hug & kiss on the cheek.    Her dad told me when I encountered her she had just been kicked out of her house.   Her husband had filed for divorce and also hit her with a restraining order.   She ended up marrying a Nevada Highway Patrolman.    Up until about 5 years ago, we exchanged Christmas Cards.   I send them for 3 more years and the 3rd one was returned as not deliverable.   

I've thought about her several times since my youngest daughters husband filed for divorce from her.     He found a lady attorney that had a large stash of $$$$.   He went for it, and he is making a dent in it.

[Robert]

I was doing a bit of thinking this morning and this post came to mind. I thought about all the responses and then thought about who the Lord picked as Apostles. The church called them saints but they were far from that. I dont like when the church deifies men it makes them above normal men, but they weren't. There were arguments and disagreements so bad that some had to split up. They didn't have allot of money or have lofty jobs they were normal Joes. Jesus they say now was more than a carpenter more like a handyman or even a contractor. I wonder with all the people in the world why did the Lord choose these men. We know that we probably wouldn't have picked the men the Lord picked. Yet these are the men that touched the world led on by His Spirit. We all know the stories about doubting Thomas and how Peter denied Christ 3 times when he was quaking in his boots like a little girl. I wonder what I would have done in that instance. I think it takes a certain brokenness and definitely caring and a commonality that brings us to the point that we look beyond ourselves and see others and we can have empathy for them. It also speaks of confidence enough to do what ever the situation requires to help someone along. I see these qualities in so many people,maybe we make saint hood to high maybe there should be saint RJ or Woodwizard for this is not a random act of kindness that was exhibited, but a lifestyle of the heart that goes beyond the worlds views. We see less of this today, which is why I think the whole world feels that much colder. Most give to a personal cause not to a person regardless of view. I would choose to think that if Jesus were looking for Apostles today that more than we think may be up for the option and some that we would judge a definite would not even be worth considering. One of my favorite parts of the Bible is when a donkey talks to a King, I always think if He can use a donkey or @ss then He can use me or anyone. So there is always hope We make things to out of reach, with one act of kindness the world was changed.

[bigguy]

I love these stories. They remind me of an article I wrote years ago. Angles