First
of all let me start off with a praise report for those who read my blog
yesterday and know that I have been having some car issues. My
car is fixed!!! To some it may not be a big deal, but to me it is a
real BLESSING! It took almost three
days, but I am so grateful that the problem is fixed and the Arnold 4 is back on four wheels again.
As I do often, I always try to find a spiritual application in the situations I
face. I know that there are things that God can teach me even in the simplest
of things of life. Well, this situation is no different. I must say that the
lessons I learned in this particular situation are courtesy of the mechanic
that fixed my car. He is a really neat guy and not only did he fix my car, but
he taught me some things about handling problems in life over these last three
days. Since I know we all have problems at some point and time in life, I felt
that it was necessary to share these nuggets. I hope they are as useful to you
as they are to me to help us along our journey. With that being said here are
the lessons that I learned from my mechanic…
Lesson #1: He took the time to get to the root of the
problem. – I watched him meticulously dismantle my
vehicle in order to get to the source of the problem. He thought he had an idea of what the problem
was, but he said he wanted to be 100% sure. In order to do this, it was
necessary to literally break it down piece by piece (I was a little nervous
when I saw my car’s innards scattered on my driveway). It took some time to get
it figured out, but at the end he was successful in discovering the source of
the problem.
How many times have you faced a challenge
or a problem and the first thing you did was jump to conclusions about the
source of it only to realize that it wasn’t what you thought it was? It is so important to get to the root of
the problem. What happens often times is that we tend to deal with the symptoms
and the problem continues to reoccur. This is true in friendships, marriages, work
related problems as well as spiritual struggles and more. Get to the source of
it first so that the problem can be dealt with head on, once and for all.
Lesson #2: He was patient. This goes without saying. This man spent
hours on my car over the course of three days! I am sure he had other things
that needed to be done. He never complained. He never asked for anything or
accepted my offers of taking a water/snack break. He just stayed focused on
getting the problem solved. Not once did he seem frustrated. Every time I asked
him if the situation was really bad, he just smiled and kept saying I’ll get it
fixed. He didn’t even mind that it was rainy, cold and wet one of those days. What
an excellent display of patience!
I
know that we are in an instant gratification
time. We are used to having most things right now. But we must face the facts, there
are some things that will require us to wait and patience is a prerequisite for
this. Don't rush the process.
Lesson #3: He had to get some help in order to solve the problem. During the time that he was fixing my car
he got on the phone with the auto parts representative and a fellow mechanic a few times.
He was seeking their expertise on the part needed and the best way to solve the problem.
Once he spoke with them, he would give us an update on their joint conclusion
and recommendation.
Sometimes
problems we face are beyond our ability to handle them. It’s ok to seek help
from others. Yes, you should be prayerful about who you seek counsel from, but
there are people who have walked in your shoes and have faced the same or
similar struggles. Sometimes God allows us to face things so that we will have
to reach out to someone else to solve it. Don't allow your pride to get in the way of getting your breakthrough!
Lesson #4: He stayed the course until the problem was solved. It took time and a great deal of effort, but he stayed with it until the problem was solved. There were times that I felt it didn’t look good and the car was beyond repair, but not him. He kept working at it trying to get it fixed. He had to go back and forth to the parts store until he got the right part. He had to come back to my house at least six times over the course of three days. He amazed me with his tenacity. He
stayed the course and at the end he solved the problem!
Have you ever given up
while trying to solve a problem? Are you at the point now where you are about to give
up on trying to solve a problem? I know that dealing with some problems we face will take everything in us and out of us to
get a solution, but hold steady because there is NOTHING too hard for God. If we will just hold on and allow God to work it out according to His plan.
There may be those that are thinking "This is too simple!" and "You don't know what I'm going through!". No, I don't know of your situation personally and I
would be the first to attest to the fact that life can sometimes throw some
pretty tough punches (far greater than car issues), but I believe
that in spite of the problem, you can make it. We serve a God
that is able to bring us through our struggles, our tough times, our problems, no
matter what we face. Hang in there my friends and trust Him to bring
you through as the victor! Defeat is not an option! Be encouraged today.
_____________________________________________
~ Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:37
~ I have told you these
things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
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