One evening this week while Lauri was away visiting our daughter, I decided to do a little maintenance on a used vehicle we had just purchased, because I noticed a small fluid leak. I expected that the leaking liquid was brake fluid from a faulty brake line, but I quickly realized that it was coolant — and it was black. Not good. Coolant should be that bright green or red… not black… immediately my mind went to — “black could mean that oil was in the engine coolant system”.
If you know anything about engines you know that oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil is BAD NEWS. It indicates at the least a significant issue of a blown head gasket and at worst the catastrophic issue of a cracked engine block. After I threw up in the corner of the garage over that possibility… (Ok, not really… but I did experience some significant angst), I decided to drain the oil and check for coolant in it — to my relief the oil was coolant/water free. Next I drained the radiator and sure enough — the coolant was black.
Ok… I hope I haven’t bored you and I have typed “coolant” more times in two paragraphs than my whole life combined — long story short… no engine issues… just a small leak… the coolant was just filthy dirty. Steve Heydinger from Steve’s Auto confirmed it. (Shout out to Steve’s Auto!) Phew!
For two and half hours though… as I worked on that vehicle… as I googled and contemplated my dilemma… as I drove to get oil, an oil filter and antifreeze… worry and angst almost drove me insane. What have I done? Why didn’t I pay closer attention to the vehicle before I bought it? What if it has a cracked block — because then it is toast? Worry, worry, worry… you know what? Worry stinks! Worry is garbage! Worry is… worthless. Worry doesn’t accomplish a single thing.
Finally on my drive home from town with my oil and such, I just offered a simple prayer asking God to forgive me for worrying. In the grand scheme of life, worrying over this issue over a car JUST WASN’T WORTH IT. I literally felt my body relax as I offered that prayer. A prayer of seeking forgiveness and a prayer that I would trust God in all things — even this.
We are familiar with Jesus’ words, “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:25-27
According to Jesus, worry gets us nowhere… God knows everything… including what is best for you… so DON’T WORRY. Oh man, what awesome truth! Easy to hear… but not always easy to apply to our life, right? Especially when the issue we are facing is waaaayyyy more significant than a simple car issue. Yet trust and worry are antithetic. They mix no more than oil and water do.
Do you have a worry dragging down your thoughts this week? What steps could you take to trust God in the midst of that circumstance rather than worry through it? Remember Jesus’s words. God knows what you need… you are important to him… don’t worry.
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