Yelling at the Gas Station

I’d never yelled out the window at a stranger before.  Until last night.  

I was pulling into the local gas station – the one with the cheap gas prices and lots of cars in line. There’s always a fair amount of gentle chaos there.  Since some cars have tanks on the driver’s side and others on the passenger’s side, drivers often need to approach the same pump from opposite directions.  Respect and civility are necessities. 

As I pulled up to my pump, the car over my left shoulder and on the other side pulled away, and two cars headed for the same spot. The woman beeped her horn and gestured that she’d been waiting.  I heard an angry young man shout back, “This is my pump. Get the f--- out of here!” And I immediately yelled out, “Hey!”  (as in “I’m the adult and we don’t tolerate that sort of language around here. Stop it!”) 

Immediately I realized, of course, that it’s not my call what sort of language other people use at the gas station.  I also envisioned this guy yelling at me to mind my own business, or worse. I don’t even know if he ever heard me.  The woman at the pump directly next to me did, though, but she avoided any eye contact with me. And the woman that I was speaking up for was nowhere to be seen. 

I got out of the car and started my gas line, thinking about that immediate rebuke. I never did see the angry young man – he apparently went to the cashier, then gassed up quickly and left.

 I’ve thought since then how much was there in that event – his public coarseness; the possible sources of his anger (and lack of restraint); to what degree he was aware of or sorry for his own outburst; the threatened woman and her hasty backing away; the woman next to me not wanting to get involved; my own anxiety as to whether yelling was a wise thing to do; and so on. 

Not sure I have a moral to this story, it’s just something that has made me think.  Does this sort of incident happen to you?  What have you seen others do that’s been inspiring or helpful?  And what would Jesus want us to do in that situation?   

You are in my prayers as you encounter the sometimes rude and coarse aspects of public life.  May the Lord be with you.  

Pastor Larry