I’m going to tell you an old story. It’s a bit long, but maybe you will get the point intended by the unknown author.
One day a man went to a lawyer for advice. He thought he was in real trouble. His neighbor was going on vacation for a month and instead of boarding their two dogs, they were going to lock them up and a woman was going to come and feed them – if she didn’t forget. He worried that they would be lonely and bark all day and night, keeping him from sleeping. He didn’t want to call the SPCA to haul the dogs away, but he was afraid he might go crazy and shoot them, and then his neighbors would shoot him.
The lawyer patted back a yawn and told this story: A fellow was speeding down a country road one night when he had a blowout. The spare tire was all right, but he found that someone had borrowed his jack and not returned it. Looking around, he saw the lights of a farmhouse and decided he would see if he could borrow a jack from the farmer. As he walked toward the house, he tried to rehearse his request for the jack. I’ll just knock on the door, ask for the jack, and he will say, Sure, neighbor, just make sure you bring it back.
The closer to the house he came, the more nervous he was about the response he might receive. He thought to himself, By now, he’s gone to bed and will be annoyed because I woke him up – so he’ll probably want some money for the jack, and I’ll say, OK, but that’s not very neighborly of you. I’ll give you a dollar.
He thought to himself, He’ll probably say, You think you can get me up in the middle of the night, and offer me a dollar? I’ll get five dollars or you can go somewhere else for yourjack!
By now, the fellow had worked himself into a pretty good lather. When he turned into the man’s gate, he muttered, five dollars! All right, I’ll give you five dollars. But not a red cent more! A poor guy has an accident and all he needs is a jack. You probably won’t let me have one no matter what I pay. That’s the kind of guy you are. See if I care!
When he finally got to the door, he knocked loudly and angrily. When the farmer stuck his head out the window he hollered, Who’s there? What do you want? The fellow stopped pounding on the door and yelled up, You know what you can do with your jack. Just keep it!
The fellow with dog problems finally realized that his lawyer was telling him he hadjust been “borrowing trouble”.
Days later on the way home from work he remembered he had not called his wife to tell her he might be late. Crawling along in a string of heavy traffic, he thought, I’ll tell her I was caught in the rush hour traffic, and she’ll say, Why didn’t you phone me before you left for home? Then I’ll say, What difference does it make? I’m here, aren’t I? Then she will say, Yes, and I’ve been here alone all day, slaving, just waiting to hear from you.
Then I’ll say, Do you think I have nothing else to do than call you up every hour and make like a lovebird? And she’ll say, You mean like a wolf, but you wouldn’t be calling me! By this time he was pretty steamed up, and when he got home he jumped out and slammed the car door as his wife flung open the window upstairs. All right! he shouted to her, Go ahead – Say it!
Softly she said, “I will – do you wanta borrow a jack?”
Whether you think that’s a funny story may depend upon your sense of humor, but many a person is going through life – right now – with a permanent chip on his shoulder, just as this man did.
Sometimes it is seen in their constant suspicion of everyone. If some person asks them out to dinner, they may think there is some ulterior motive behind the invitation.
Others are never willing to give the other guy the benefit of the doubt. The other guy will always be under a microscope, and if he is seen within a mile of some questionable place, our friend will assume he was there for all the wrong reasons.
Such a person is often so aware of his own weaknesses he can’t imagine that someone else might have pure motives.
It was Jesus Who said,
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34
Among other things, we learn a clear lesson about the practice of “borrowing trouble.” The man in our story was already suffering because of troubles that he
might have when his neighbors left. Next time you drive your car, be sure you have your jack with you. It could save you lots of trouble!
