Time for a Tune Up

On the drive home from Colorado something awful happened: after filling with gas, we were leaving the gas station, our Suburban started shaking violently and it felt like it was going to stop running at any moment. Then it happened: the "Check Engine" light lit up, but not only was it on, it was flashing at me, as if to say "Hey Lady - something's wrong! Stop and check it out!"

Being the absolutely desperate to not make this trip any longer excited to get home people that we were, my husband and I decided that we were just going to keep on going - with a prayer said over our vehicle, we continued on our journey. We did not break down. With the help of God and our trusty vehicle, we made it all the way home.

Today, two days later, I was driving that same Suburban down the highway - still shaking and that light still staring me in the face (but this time only flashing when I was accelerating).



That's when it struck me how often in our lives God is the "Check Engine" light that we ignore. What on earth do I mean by that? I'm so glad that you asked! How often in life do we feel the signs, the shaking of our lives and see God's warnings (that Check Engine light), but choose to ignore them? We walk right past them and continue to do things our own way. As long as we are in control of our own lives nothing can go wrong without us expecting it, right? Wrong. God gives us those warnings in our life for a reason. Whether your warning come through that still small voice in you (often referred to as our conscience), whether it comes through another person or if it's just a big knot in your stomach .. whatever the sign may be - when we choose to ignore it, it will eventually lead us to a break down. A time when we need the Master Mechanic to do some work on our operating system (our heart, mind, body and soul) and send us off in the correct direction.

When I look back over my life, there are so many times that warning signs were screaming at me and staring me straight in the face, but I chose to look past them and continue doing things my way. I have this need to control my own life, and God continues to tell me that I have to let Him do the driving, and be content in the passenger seat of my life. By ignoring those warnings, I walked straight into the pit of a break down. Something majorly went wrong.

Thankfully, I do know the Master Mechanic, and His love and grace go farther than I can comprehend. Thankfully, He doesn't send me to the junk yard because I ignored his "Check Engine light". He workes on me, slowly but surely. This is not a quick fix, this is a time when He is truly doing a very good work in my life. Each of these experiences have been huge turning points in my life that I am forever grateful for. My Master Mechanic has always loved me, forgiven me and helped me. He can and will do the same for you ... but I pray that, rather than it being through a break down, you will pay attention to the "Check Engine" lights in your life and seek the Master Mechanic before the break down happens.