Parking Space

All are creatures of habit.
All are comfortable in the status quo.
All are at peace with the way things are.

If you are taking college lectures, you probably sit in the same seat that you found on the first day of class.

If you eat lunch in the same restaurant frequently, you probably look to the same table, with the same server and perhaps even order the same meal.

If you go to work at the same time every day, you probably have a favorite parking space.

The other day, I was captivated with one particular parking location.  For as long as I’ve been driving up to this building, one of the employees has always parked by backing into that exact space every single day.  But a new employee, a person of higher rank, must have arrived before this employee.



That parking location was now taken when this employee arrived. I wondered what went through his mind that morning.

The next day, his car was located ‘where it belonged’.

It’s become a game now.  Every morning, I look to see who ‘won’ today.  Day after day, the battle continues.  It appears there is no end in sight.

I wonder how often that happens in every part of our lives.  I wonder how often we live our life in the ‘right’ of what belongs to us –whether it does or not.  I wonder how much we allow our attitude of ‘that’s mine because I claimed it long ago’ rules our interactions with others.

Where and how often does this ‘entitlement’ creep into my life?  It is worth the time spent pondering an honest answer.

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 8:35-36

A corollary of sorts:

Today, I'm writing later than normal.  I decided to spend a couple of hours at the office because I have access to a multi-monitor station and a faster Internet.  I didn't work, but I got a lot of personal things out of the way.

I wasn't the only person at the office today - there were 2 of us, in fact.  I parked directly in front of the main entrance.  The other person left his car about a thousand feet from the front door - in HIS spot!  Laughing....