Sludge, Red Tape and Black Gold

December 20, 2011 by Naphtali 3 Comments

Didn’t  think I would ever see it again. It was gone for sure. Lost in a sea of sludge and red tape. Here it is a few days before Christmas and it was like it came early.

Nope it was not Santa. No it was not my phone I have been waiting for ever for. No, it was not a new laptop I would like to have.

It was gas at $2.98 a gallon. It reminded me of when Jed Clampett discovered oil on his property:

Come 'n listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed
And then one day, he was shootin' at some food
And up through the ground come a bubblin' crude
Oil, that is, black gold, Texas tea

Well, the first thing you know, old Jed's a millionaire
Kin folk said, Jed, move away from there
Said, Californy is the place you oughta be
So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly
Hills, that is, swimmin' pools, movie stars

Well, now it's time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin
They would like to thank you folks for kindly droppin' in
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heapin' helpin' of their hospitality
Hillbilly, that is, set a spell, take your shoes off

Y'all come back now, hear?

On my trip to see my family there it was. I saw it for $2.98, $2.99, 3.03 and 3.05 in one town. I filled my car up at $2.98 cents a gallon. I felt like Jed Clampett; I had found my black gold.

I called my dad and told him how good it made me feel. For the first time in two years it was below $3.00 a gallon and I wanted to cry. Pumping the so-called cheap gas into my little PT Cruiser I could feel myself wanting to weep for joy.

It is a sad state when I applaud gas prices below $3.00 a gallon. The thoughts crossed my ethereal mind of how I was not lining the pockets of the big oil companies or the speculators. The over whelming excitement within my soul that maybe, just maybe their Bahama Cruise might be canceled due to lower gas prices was worth the trip.

This is certainly an unexpected treat right before Christmas. Considering the last 2 years the price of gas has hovered between $3.50 and almost $4.o0 a gallon where I live, it was a nice present. Not sure who this gift is from but I will surely accept it.

It almost seems absurd to be elated for gas prices to be under $3.00. I can remember when they were well below $1.00. We never thought about buying gas. Now, I play a game of checking the gas station marquis to find out how much I am donating to the Arab world and their extravagant lifestyles.

It is a blessing for those around me and you who are reading this that I am a Christian. The Soap Box of this Gasoline War runs long in my house.  The good news is I know that being a Child of God, no matter what the price of gas is or anything else for that matter, God will take care of me.

Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in Jesus Christ.”  In other words God is not concerned with the economy on earth. His riches come from Heaven and are infinite.

Anyway, I will take the few extra dollars I saved and put it to good use. I’ll use it to send Jed Clampett to the White House so he can become the new “Oil Czar.”

Image via Wikipedia