After driving over 1200 miles in two days to Nashville, Tennessee my 10 year old Civic began to rattle. Panic set in for a moment since I was in a strange city. However, as guest of the Dominican Nuns while attending a world conference in Nashville, I asked the nuns where do they go to have their cars repaired. In one voice, they instructed me to take it to George. Getting directions from a cloistered order to the garage was a challenge, but I soon found my way into a Phillips service station and introduced myself as the “ Yankee chaplain from Rochester” referred by the Dominicans to check on a rattle.In two shakes, the Civic was up on a lift and grimy, old George with his knee brace was checking the exhaust pipes. All of sudden, he yanked a piece of metal from under the pipes and threw it on the ground. With a clang, he proclaimed surgery was a success. It was only a rusted heat shield that after 10 years had done its job. “That’s your rattle and you don’t need the darn’ thing anyway.” What a relief! I asked George to change the oil and filter while it was up on the lift. It was over 3,000 miles since the last change and he agreed it was a good idea. Chris took over and completed the job while George walked outside the garage to pump gas for a senior.
I was surprised to see George, take an air hose and check all her tires. Next, he opened the hook of her car to check the oil levels and got a quart of oil and poured it in. He did this for each customer who came to his station. When I was getting my bill, I told George I haven’t seen this kind of service since the 1950's. I remember my dad taking the Chevy Impala to the Citgo station and the guys giving this kind of service. George simply said “there’s not too many of us around anymore.”
When I looked at the mechanics who worked for George, they had grimy pants, dirty hands and scruffy beards. Yet, each one would take a turn to go outside and wait on everyone with great dignity and care. We all come with a personal history when we encounter others. Sometimes, prejudice can narrow our view and we fail to accept the good works of others despite their gender, culture or race. Jesus was no stranger to this kind of narrow-minded perspective. Might be a good time to dumped the old biases and get a mental “ oil and filter change” if too much crud is clogging your vision. If you tend to drive too long without checking your oil, you can bet that your prejudices are clogging your spirit.
Pray and reflect: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Gal 3:28.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who suffer the pain and rejection of prejudice. Help us to look beyond the externals that tend to clog our vision. May our thoughts and actions reflect your dignity for all your children. Like George, may we treat each customer and one another with dignity and compassion.
