Fixing a truck: a worship-full experience
Driving to Texas seemed like such a great idea considering the fact that my wife and I will be moving from Illinois to New Jersey in late August: much further from our families than before. But, like most long trips, there were obstacles. We started our trip with a stop by the grocery store, to stock up on snacks for the trip, and noticed a good sale on Cheez-its.
After finally setting out on our journey, the air-conditioner in my '94 Ford Ranger decided to be indecisive. It couldn't make up its mind whether to blow cool air, or engine hot air. It had been doing it off and on the week before our trip. I shrugged it off as a fluke, perhaps hoping it would fix itself. (If only I could install Norton on my truck to fix the bugs...) So the day of our trip the AC decided to swear off blowing cool forever.
We drove with the windows down, cruzing down the freeway at 75 to 80 mph catching as much breeze as possible. But we sweat...a lot. I feel terrible for the gas station attendents who had to suffer through my stench as I forked over (extensive amounts of) money. A lady in Tulsa even backed off a bit trying to catch a breeze from another direction I think, but she also could have been stretching...I don't know.
Unfortunately, there was much fourth of July traffic. Despite our semi-wreckless attempt at non-stop driving, road construction proved too powerful for the likes of the Ranger.
Anyway, skipping ahead...we were stranded in Oklahoma City after our truck overheated (well, for an hour or so). I blamed my driving at first, then my wife's and then my truck. I never would have guessed that our air conditioner problem was a good sign that our antifreeze was low in the radiator. My dad guessed it first hand. I hate asking for help, so I'm not sure if I was more upset about the truck problem or about having to call someone for help.
We waited for the engine to cool, filled the radiator with water and drove the remaining hour to our destination...
The Lube and Tune place near my parents house always had a mechanic on hand when someone came wanting fixings other than just an oil change or a cleaning and so I hoped he could decipher the problem. An hour and $20 bought me the verdict: bad water pump. The mechanic went into a concealed room for about 15 minutes and came out with a slight grin and a piece of paper in his hand. His estimate on replacement was around $300 which I knew was out of bounds (as far as my bank account is concerned). They wanted about $100 for parts and $200 for the labor.
I did some research, found that replacing the water pump wouldn't require taking out the engine and hopped on board with a vacation goal of fixing my truck. Technically the goal was mandatory since we couldn't drive back home with a bad waterpump.
I bought the parts and a new thermostat for around $40. What were those guys at the Lube and Tune place charging me $90 for? Sheesh.
Instead of buying a manual for $20 or so, I just drove to the community library about 7 or 8 minutes from my parents house and checked out the book for a few days. The process sounded easy, and it was, but maneuvering my arms to reach bolts and still have enough leveridge to loose them was challenging. In fact my wife volunteered to help and it was she who unscrewed the bolts I couldn't manage (despite my squeezing and screaming) to take off.
I worked off and on for three days in sweat and blood and grease. The process was not only aggravating and long, preventing me from doing vacation-type things, it was miserably hot and painful...but it was also a worshipful, humbling experience. There is much to be learned from hard work, doing things for oneself instead of having others do it for you. I worked to the point of dehydration to where I was completely disoriented and exhausted yet still just as determined as when I started. How does one stay determined, keep interest without a sure end? Faith and hope and love...fear? These motivated me to fix my truck. What's your motivation (Ugh...dontcha hate cliches)?
Off topic: Though hard work is not required for salvation, it should exemplify someone's orientation of heart, right? So faith without works is an imbalanced life -- saying but not doing...Christ is always an active God, always aligning his actions with his words. (This is a different response to a question a friend posed the other day).
...
After finally setting out on our journey, the air-conditioner in my '94 Ford Ranger decided to be indecisive. It couldn't make up its mind whether to blow cool air, or engine hot air. It had been doing it off and on the week before our trip. I shrugged it off as a fluke, perhaps hoping it would fix itself. (If only I could install Norton on my truck to fix the bugs...) So the day of our trip the AC decided to swear off blowing cool forever.
We drove with the windows down, cruzing down the freeway at 75 to 80 mph catching as much breeze as possible. But we sweat...a lot. I feel terrible for the gas station attendents who had to suffer through my stench as I forked over (extensive amounts of) money. A lady in Tulsa even backed off a bit trying to catch a breeze from another direction I think, but she also could have been stretching...I don't know.
Unfortunately, there was much fourth of July traffic. Despite our semi-wreckless attempt at non-stop driving, road construction proved too powerful for the likes of the Ranger.
Anyway, skipping ahead...we were stranded in Oklahoma City after our truck overheated (well, for an hour or so). I blamed my driving at first, then my wife's and then my truck. I never would have guessed that our air conditioner problem was a good sign that our antifreeze was low in the radiator. My dad guessed it first hand. I hate asking for help, so I'm not sure if I was more upset about the truck problem or about having to call someone for help.
We waited for the engine to cool, filled the radiator with water and drove the remaining hour to our destination...
The Lube and Tune place near my parents house always had a mechanic on hand when someone came wanting fixings other than just an oil change or a cleaning and so I hoped he could decipher the problem. An hour and $20 bought me the verdict: bad water pump. The mechanic went into a concealed room for about 15 minutes and came out with a slight grin and a piece of paper in his hand. His estimate on replacement was around $300 which I knew was out of bounds (as far as my bank account is concerned). They wanted about $100 for parts and $200 for the labor.
I did some research, found that replacing the water pump wouldn't require taking out the engine and hopped on board with a vacation goal of fixing my truck. Technically the goal was mandatory since we couldn't drive back home with a bad waterpump.
I bought the parts and a new thermostat for around $40. What were those guys at the Lube and Tune place charging me $90 for? Sheesh.
Instead of buying a manual for $20 or so, I just drove to the community library about 7 or 8 minutes from my parents house and checked out the book for a few days. The process sounded easy, and it was, but maneuvering my arms to reach bolts and still have enough leveridge to loose them was challenging. In fact my wife volunteered to help and it was she who unscrewed the bolts I couldn't manage (despite my squeezing and screaming) to take off.
I worked off and on for three days in sweat and blood and grease. The process was not only aggravating and long, preventing me from doing vacation-type things, it was miserably hot and painful...but it was also a worshipful, humbling experience. There is much to be learned from hard work, doing things for oneself instead of having others do it for you. I worked to the point of dehydration to where I was completely disoriented and exhausted yet still just as determined as when I started. How does one stay determined, keep interest without a sure end? Faith and hope and love...fear? These motivated me to fix my truck. What's your motivation (Ugh...dontcha hate cliches)?
Off topic: Though hard work is not required for salvation, it should exemplify someone's orientation of heart, right? So faith without works is an imbalanced life -- saying but not doing...Christ is always an active God, always aligning his actions with his words. (This is a different response to a question a friend posed the other day).
...
posted by Timcom at 4:25 PM
3 Comments:
Howdy-do...my personal experience is all that I have to rely on. I'm not in Iraq...and so you are right that I should be worrying about what should be considered more important than what I have been culturally pampered with. It is easy to just brush by the idea that there are people over there risking their lives for those of us who are pampered. I know quite a few people in the Army and Marines who are in Iraq right now and I hope that they don't show up on a casualty list as well.
I wouldn't necessarily consider myself apathetic because I take pride in fixing my truck. If you think that my attitude is inappropriate or perhaps not humbling enough, you may be correct in the overall picture. You bring up a good point.
Why worry about a car, a house, a computer, books, coffee, when all of these things are not necessary for survival? How does one live in the culture without becoming absorbed in material things? How can one find a job when they don't have an address or phone number? How can a person get to a job when they have no means or money for transportation?
We all get accustomed to a certain standard of living and find it hard to lose that status once we've achieved it.
What is unnecessary and necessary to survive and live in American culture?
Or are you referring to a mix-up of priorities as apathy?
I could sit here and make excuses for being 'apathetic' but there really are none. I can't say that there is nothing I can do about national situations. There is always something I can actively do to contribute to what I believe to be right.
Perhaps apathy is due to individual security and comfort within our culture: no one willing to make a stand, extending beyond their comfort zone. I'm guilty of it. I ask what I can do and all the situations seem too big for me to make a difference. Evil, I am, at times.
By 'active' I meant actually doing the work myself rather than having someone else do it for me. I consider it to be an accomplishment, personally, because most of my life people have been doing things for me. It could be a move in the direction of acting on some of the bigger issues. It is impossible conquer worldly problems without first conquering my inner problems (ie laziness). In the grand scheme of things, fixing my truck was a fractional feat, but for the development of self, it was very humbling. But I concede your point.
And the trip was well worth it...seeing and visiting with family and friends is something I consider to be important. It was costly, but very worth it.
As far as your concern about church, I would agree with you in some cases, that some churches worry too much about themselves and about defending their faith than actually doing the things that they profess. The economy, terror, etc should all be important issues on the Christian agenda because they profess a vertical covenant with all of humanity along the same lines as their covenant with God. Your concern is valid.
lol
me too...
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