Tight Places

My coworker, Nikki, has been laughing at me all day ... okay, she’s not laughing at me, she’s laughing with me! That makes a BIG difference. This morning when I arrived at work, I decided to pull my beloved blue Prius into a parking spot that looked a little tight ... but only a little. (You know, like those pants that are only a little tight? Just five more pounds and I’m sure I could get — this — zipper — up!)

Anyway, as I kept my eye on the car to my left (Nikki’s car, actually, so I hope she appreciates it!), I heard a crunching noise from the other side. Aarrgghh! The other car was scraped up, and it was all my fault, “no-fault” state or not. Worse yet, the other car was (gulp) a Lexus. Probably someone’s beloved green Lexus.

I left my sorry note on the windshield and asked the driver to call me. Then, all day, every time I ran into anyone, I’d ask, “What kind of car do you drive?” And Nikki would start laughing. Mercilessly.

People kept hoping I had hit their old clunkers and were disappointed when I described a green Lexus. Finally we figured out the car must belong to one of the men visiting for an all-day training. (“Welcome to Trinity!”) Sure enough, toward the end of the day, my phone rang. “Anne? This is Don Roscoe ...” Don! I know Don! Maybe he’ll forgive me ... and, of course, he did.

So is there any spiritual lesson in this? Probably not, but here’s what came to my addled mind. When you think you can squeeze into a tight place in life — just kind of barely slide between the lines the Lord has set — you might cause some damage. Better to steer clear and find another place to park! What lines have you tried to “squeeze between” lately? How did it turn out? Share your comments ... I won’t laugh, I promise!

Anne Cody
Director of Group Life, Trinity Church