Her name was/is Mickey, last name not important, we had at least three of
them in our customer files for various cars she owned. She lived at at an
exclusive La Jolla address, and was well known in the Village for getting her
way. Think of a nasty New York City/Miami Beach Jewish woman, and you pegged
her. Her outfits were straight out of the early sixties, hairdo included, and
even in the hottest weather, wore a fox stole around her neck, rumor had it she
had killed it with her bare hands, no one asked. My first encounter was as the
new guy at Mercedes Benz and she drove in. Never an appointment, she just drove
in and expected you to drop everything and take care of her. I should have
known when everyone scattered, and even the owner shut her office door, while
some picked up the phone closest pretending to be on it. Her words engaging me,
“you’re new here.” As if a death threat. I forget the exact problem, but in a
few minutes she was gone, and I was told when the owner came out from cover,
“give her anything she wants and get rid of her quickly.” I was soon to find
out why....
Mercedes Benz 20 years ago had some big quality problems. All the
electronic goodies we take for granted today, were originated on their cars, and
field tested many times before correct on their customers ala General Motors.
Mickey had a few of them. And still being the new guy, I was thrown to her
every time she came in. With one memorable occasion, where she threatened me,
and told me I would fix her car in 20 minutes while she waited or else. So I
fired back, “I didn’t build it or design it, i‘m just trying to fix it. And the
fix requires the car at least a day. If you want it fixed, that is the best and
quickest way to get it done. You cannot tell us how to do our jobs.” I think I
saw a leg move on the fox. With a look that could kill, and may have in the
past, she calmly stated, “I like you, you have spunk, no one here ever talked to
me that way before. Tell me what to do...” And I exhaled.....
And she gave me a twenty dollar tip, that would become a standard greeting
after that. Which all leads up to the real story here. She had bought a new E
class in Santa Monica, prewired for a phone, and you had to install the right
one of four phones, or nothing. A nationwide problem based on lazy salesman
just handing their customer a box, she came to me to fix her problem. So I
called the dealer there, the salesman made excuses, so I talked to the sales
manager. More excuses. So with her sitting across from me, I pulled out my
hole card. “Either you assure me in the next 45 minutes the correct phone will
be here when we open in the morning, or I will plant her on your doorstep and
you explain it to her.” And hung up. As she sat there grinning.....It only
took ten minutes to be assured it would be here, the sales manager even offered
to drive it down himself that afternoon. We all laughed after, “did you
really say that?” the owner asked. Only a grin was needed to answer......
Maybe there is something to a reputation after all. It may get you your
way, but often times it can get in the way. In a world of instant everything,
we want it now or we don’t want it at all. We are never patient, and miss out
on God’s blessings. In heaven where there is no time frame, what will it matter
in eternity, we place a high bounty on it now. But patience being a part of the
fruit of the spirit is overlooked. One of the three givens in life, 1-you
cannot have patience right now, 2-you cannot brag on how humble you are, and
3-you have to screw up to get mercy. But you can wait upon the Lord and renew
your strength when tired, or not get tired by doing so. When we claim that God
has everything under control, we neglect his timing element, which can be as
foolish as his one day is the same as a thousand years. Which we try to time.
He doesn’t worry about time, he created it. For his own good, and for our own
good. He gave us seasons, night so we can have beautiful sunsets and sunrises,
and in his eyes just like a day that has gone by. So maybe the secret to time
management is Jesus, to seek his will and way, for he was never late, and never
hurried. He offers us his plans for free, for our benefit, yet how many hurry
up and pray before going to work, or fall asleep during long drawn out
repititious prayers? All things work on God’s time table, from creation to
defining a day, to the three days for Jesus to be resurrected, to the day when
he calls his church home to heaven. Imagine any one event in Biblical history
being changed and you can only imagine the outcome. So how many of us have
prayed “teach me my number of days so I may gain wisdom?” The Psalmist
did...and we can too. Through out all generations sang Moses, including ours
which he had no idea about, but God does.
So why hurry and read through the Bible in a year, when you can relax and
enjoy the blessings he has for us today? Why rush when you don’t have to? Why
create a problem when the answers to problems are inside? We all talk about
having more time to spend with God, so why hurry? Another religious habit to
rob us of God’s glory. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, not of religion. Do
you meditate on the things of God during the day? Do you see something and
think of him? Do you need communion to remember him? Do you ever sing Jesus
words to secular songs? Did you know you can sing Amazing Grace to the theme to
Gilligan;s Island? Or even America the Beautiful? Try it and see. Meditating
on his amazing grace. What does it take for us to stand up and quick hurrying,
worrying, and wasting time? Just because we have forever.....is no
excuse.
So when I stood up to Mickey, it was really about time more than fixing her
car. Hurry up and wait, my schedule, my way, my own problem. Do we have enough
spunk to admit our faults and give them to God? Could it be we are wasting away
our in between times with Jesus, because we are in a hurry to get to our next
meeting, service, or prayer session? Do you look at you watch more than you do
your Bible? Is your day time filled with appointments but none for God? He
made you and the time for you, just ask him, “Lord I need you, what can I do?”
Don’t wait until you are threatened and find he was on your doorstep the whole
time, you were just too busy. I for one am glad doesn’t give me anything I want
and just to get rid of me. Maybe a walk in your heart of gardens is in
order.....just you and Jesus. In the garden alone. Like the song says, “he
walks with me and talks with me, and tells me I am his own.” Know anyone other
than you that needs to hear those words?
And no appointment necessary....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com