Car Maintenance
Car maintenance, am I right? Last week, my wife and I scheduled one of our vehicles for service. It needed the oil changed, and the tires rotated. I normally change the oil, filters, brakes, and many other things related to car maintenance; however, I found that the time and energy were comparable to paying the “professionals”. Car maintenance is like many other tasks in life; if not performed regularly, it will stop functioning at its best. If I do not keep the vehicle in good shape, continue to service it, and drive it correctly, it will eventually break down sooner rather than later. Car maintenance is a lot like spiritual maintenance.
As a Christian, God calls me to fill my spirit with things that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and anything worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8). Doing this is like maintaining a car. If I put cheap products into my car, it will fail. If I put cheap junk into my spirit, it will be overrun by the world. What I put into my spirit is what eventually comes out. Think of a fifty-gallon drum as an illustration. Whatever the drum is filled with eventually spills out onto everything around it. So too, whatever the spirit is filled with eventually spills out onto everything around it.
Did You Make An Appointment
When my car needs maintenance, I usually roll up and drop it off. This time, I decided to make an appointment. After all, appointments are appointments for a reason. I make one, I show up, and the appointment takes place. Making an appointment is expressing intentionality. My appointment was at 5:30 PM. The closest WM with an auto care center is approximately 20 minutes away. I show up at 5:15 and check the vehicle in. I expect the vehicle to be worked on promptly and returned to me. That is what appointments and intentionality express. When it comes to your spirit, is there a noticeable exercise of intentionality? Do you make an appointment?
I am not saying we can approach God with the same attitude we do other appointments. Rather, we should approach God with the same intentionality and expectation. Make an appointment and put it on your calendar if you need to, but be present and show up. One thing that stands out to me when making a medical appointment is that they expect me to show up early, check in, and give 24+ hours’ notice should I need to cancel. In life, we tend to adhere to the world’s standards on appointments. Should we not then do more with our spiritual maintenance? We should show up early, check in mentally, emotionally, and certainly spiritually, with the expectation that God will work on us to produce a significantly better outcome.
Please, Wait
Patience, am I right? Long-suffering is one virtue that can have a profound impact on life when exercised regularly. Patience is also a necessary master that God uses to form Christ in us. My wife and I perused WM, waiting for the car, and the hour quickly vanished. Then the next hour began to grip reality, which prompted us to engage the tech at the register.
“Hey, I am just checking in on the car. It’s been almost two hours.”
“I’m sorry about that. We are really busy and only have two techs in there working.”
“The car has not been checked in. Do you know when they will get to it?”
“It’s difficult to say, but I am sure it won’t be long now.”
It is now close to 7 PM when they close, and the car is still sitting outside. At this point, my lack of patience is starting to get the best of me and negatively impact my attitude. My wife and I go back to the counter with the intention of cancelling the service to drive back home. I reminded myself they were busy and short-staffed. This helped me overlook my frustration, which would not benefit the situation. As I’m standing in line, I see my vehicle is pulled in.
Patience is Waning
“How can I help you?”
“Well, I planned to cancel my service appointment, but I see they just pulled my vehicle in.”
“Oh, about that, sir, I am sorry about your wait. Also, we will be closing soon, so we may not be able to rotate the tires.”
” I don’t understand, though. We had an appointment at 5:30, and it is now close to 7.”
“Would you like to cancel the tire rotation and come back another day?”
“We live over 20 minutes away. I would very much like the tires to be rotated, especially since I made an appointment.”
The tech steps out into the garage to speak with the two men working. He comes back in and behind the counter.
“Alright, they said, they are going to try and rotate the tires. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.”
“An hour?” I asked.
“Yeah, but don’t worry, they’re going to get it done.”
“Can I at least pay for it now since you are closed?”
“No, you can’t pay for it until after the service is complete. Since we got at least an hour, I got to do a little shopping. My mom sent me a list of things she wants me to get. First, I am going to take this back up front.” He says as he climbs into a motorized buggy. As he wheels away slowly, he turns to me and with sincerity says, “I am really sorry about your wait, though.”
Holy Spirit, Captain Obvious
I stood motionless, slack-jawed, staring at my wife as he slowly turned the corner, eyeing me the whole way until he disappeared. Then, in a moment of Captain Obvious clarity, I burst out laughing. Earlier in the day, my child wanted to purchase something. I suggested he get it online as it would be cheaper. Like most children, rather like most humans, he did not want to wait and mentioned how long it would take. My reply was simple.
Patience is a necessary master God uses to form Christ in us.
It was in that moment, after waiting for two and a half hours, that my earlier comment became a practical reality. Patience is necessary in all things. It does not matter if you are waiting in line at the grocery store, hoping your car gets finished soon, or waiting for a new chapter in life. This is especially true in spiritual growth, as it is not always evident how God grows us individually through sanctification. Regardless of what we wait upon, we are not to wait passively, but actively.
The Write Stuff
Now, if, like me, you are a writer seeking to produce stories that have a positive impact on people, but the wait game is gnawing at your long-suffering, consider patience. I find that after multiple years in the making, book one in an epic fantasy trilogy is finally ready for the world, but “patience is a necessary master God is using to form Christ in me.” I trust in Him more than anything else in this life. Why? At the end of the day, I can do all the necessary things, but if my trust is not in God and Him alone, long-suffering is just another character trait I am seeking to ‘overcome’ rather than grow in.
So, Christian writer, take heart. To some, waiting may be the hardest part, but to those who trust in the Lord, it is the most formative. Rejoice in this while you actively wait. What kinds and types of waiting do you find difficult?
