Original Parable: Pushing his car
There was once a man who was going on a long trip. He had been planning this trip a long time. He was very excited to go because he was going to see his friends and family members who have all spread out across the country. There were some friends he had not seen since he was in elementary school. That was a long time ago. When a man goes on a trip as long as this one with as many stops as he was planning to take you have to wonder just why he’s doing it. He didn’t really understand it. He just knew that he wanted to take the trip.
So he bought a brand new car for the trip. He had been working with the dealership for a few weeks to make sure he got exactly what he wanted. It was a nice car. A sunroof for those beautiful drives at night. Leather seats that would either heat or cool depending on what you mood you were in. The best sound system available, and many other amenities. It was a gorgeous car. He had spent most of his money on this car and he had very little left. That was alright because he wanted to make a good impression on all these people that he had not seen in a long time. He wanted them to know that he was successful and happy. He knew the best way to show them that was to drive a really nice car. That would be the lasting impression that he hoped to leave them all with.
Not too long into his trip he started to figure out that he did not have enough money to pay for all the gas that he would need to complete this trip. So he devised a plan. He would drive the car when he got into the towns so that no one would know that he didn’t have enough money to fill his amazing car with gas. However, to complete the trip, to make it between the cities he would have to push the car from the rear throughout the countryside between the cities. So he went on his trip pushing his beautiful car from city to city, and driving only enough so as not to be seen pushing by those he hoped to impress with his tremendous success.
You never know what is happening in someone else’s life in the moments when you are not around them. That’s why it is actually easier for us to “keep up our outward appearances” to others than it is to let them see the real person that we are. Much like the man in the story, we have sacrificed a lot to have this seemingly great exterior that we show people, when secretly in our own shame we don’t have enough gas to run the car.
So he bought a brand new car for the trip. He had been working with the dealership for a few weeks to make sure he got exactly what he wanted. It was a nice car. A sunroof for those beautiful drives at night. Leather seats that would either heat or cool depending on what you mood you were in. The best sound system available, and many other amenities. It was a gorgeous car. He had spent most of his money on this car and he had very little left. That was alright because he wanted to make a good impression on all these people that he had not seen in a long time. He wanted them to know that he was successful and happy. He knew the best way to show them that was to drive a really nice car. That would be the lasting impression that he hoped to leave them all with.
Not too long into his trip he started to figure out that he did not have enough money to pay for all the gas that he would need to complete this trip. So he devised a plan. He would drive the car when he got into the towns so that no one would know that he didn’t have enough money to fill his amazing car with gas. However, to complete the trip, to make it between the cities he would have to push the car from the rear throughout the countryside between the cities. So he went on his trip pushing his beautiful car from city to city, and driving only enough so as not to be seen pushing by those he hoped to impress with his tremendous success.
You never know what is happening in someone else’s life in the moments when you are not around them. That’s why it is actually easier for us to “keep up our outward appearances” to others than it is to let them see the real person that we are. Much like the man in the story, we have sacrificed a lot to have this seemingly great exterior that we show people, when secretly in our own shame we don’t have enough gas to run the car.
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