Jesus-ism: a case in point

So a few moments ago, I was at the gas station pumping gas when a woman pulls up in a minivan. She was maybe a hundred pounds, had very few teeth, and was totally strung out. She called over to me, but I couldn't understand so I walked up to the car.

"Can I get some gas?" she asked "I got no money and I'm gonna be stranded out here if somebody doesn't help me."

I thought about it, decided there was little risk of harm at this well-lit gas station and replied,"I don't have a lot to spare, but if you pull up to a pump I can out ten dollars in."

"God bless you! God bless you!" she exclaimed.

We pumped her ten dollars worth and before she got back in she screamed at me,"God is gonna bless you and pay you back 10 fold for this; I'm gonna make sure! I'll pray for you and pray for you! I swear it!"

I said I appreciated the gesture but explained that I was in fairly good health with a good dependable job. I wasn't a felon and I didn't have any children to worry about. I said,"I'm in a pretty good place right now so why don't you save those prayers and that energy for yourself so that one day you won't find yourself in this situation."

"Oh, I'm just goin through hard times right now; that's all."

"So why don't you pray about that, let's make you the most important in this situation, and when you're in a better place, and if you remember me, you can put in a good word for me with the guy upstairs. Deal?"

She wept a little and as she climbed into her van she agreed but said,"the Lord sees everything so you still gonna be blessed. I can't thank you enough!"

That's Jesus-ism for you in a nutshell. "Paying it forward," not for what you might receive in the future, but because it's the right thing to do. I didn't pump free gas for the karma or the blessing, but because helping others makes you feel better about yourself and gain insight into who you really are as a person. So that 10 dollars I spent helping that poor woman get home, but in doing so I learned something about myself making the return on my investment absolutely priceless. Down with scripture, down with dogma, but up with Jesus-ism where we can actually make a difference in people's lives. Don't think we can make a difference? Just ask the woman who is home safe with her faith intact instead of passed out in a ditch or run over by a car. She is definitely a believer!