FORD Tough--Part 1 Finding the Problem

My brother recently told me that Ford stood for "Fix or repair daily." This is in reference to my pickup's last two issues (for my further whining, please click here and here). I'm starting to wonder if he's correct. On Facebook, I even posted this idea of Ford meaning "fix or repair daily" and I had a lot of Ford-haters comment on it (yeah, you know who you are!)Now, I'm not a Ford-hater. In fact, I don't pick one type of pick-up over the other at all. But I at least want a working one.

Now, this got me to thinking. This being a blog called Spiritual Musclehead and all, I wanted to dive a bit deeper into this. In order to fix or repair something, you need to know what the problem is in the first place. If you're oil's leaking, just putting more oil in it every other day isn't going to fix the problem, just alleviate the symptoms for a while. You need to find the deeper problem.

What about us? What about us human beings. I think we need to be fixed and repaired daily to tell the truth. I'm not okay. That's for sure. Everyone who knows me knows that as much. And to tell the truth, I really think that we're all not okay in one way or another.

So, you need to be fixed and repaired. Why? I have a one word answer for you but you're not going to like it: Sin. There, I said it. I know. I don't like that word either.

Let me ask you this though: If you're leaking oil something fierce in your engine, would you keep driving it like everything was okay? Or would you want to have it fixed? In fact, if you say that the oil leaking is going to cause an engine problem, that works for you, but I'm fine just pouring more oil in it. Are you deceiving yourself? If you keep doing it, yes, you can go for a while, but eventually the engine will fail (this is from experience--blew out an engine because of this. Huge stinking hole in it too..not pretty)

So, what do we do? Be fixed and repaired daily. Problem: oil leak. Solution: fix it.
Problem: Sin. Solution: Be repaired

Problem and solution:

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives...But if anyone obeys Jesus’ word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 1:7-10, 2:5)

So what does it mean to confess? And confess what?

My poor pick up, I'm afraid

Yeah. My pick up's down again. I love it. It's old and classic...and 3 years younger than me.

What's wrong with it? Leaking oil something awful. Went on a hospital visit today and it was running rough where the engine's going "chuggity-chug-chug-thump, chuggity-chug-chug-thump." And I'm thinking that's probably not a good sound. I did some auto shop back in high school, but that's because I was bringing in my 1977 Buick Skylark constantly to work on the breaks and repair the master cylinder. That's not enough to work on a classic like this thing. Grant it that back in high school I wasn't reflecting on the fact that the Buick Skylark was my age as well. You don't think about those things when you're in high school.

But, boy howdy, you sure do in your 30's. What's getting me is that when looking at my pick up, I'm starting to look at my own mortality. Don't know why I'm getting so stinking deep in a short blog, but yeah. That's right. I'm starting to see my own failures, my own shortcomings and it's scaring the bejeebers out of me. I don't want to fail. I don't want to mess up. I don't want to be curled up in a ball on the living room floor rocking back and forth trying to find my happy place.

While hitting the bike at the gym tonight (again, too tired right now to lift weights, so I'm biking instead) I was listening to a podcast by Lifechurch.tv. Been listening to them a lot when I do cardio. I was watching one of their podcasts on quitting fear. And yeah, I'm afraid. So, I must face it.

For me, I think of these verses

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 NIV

Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Psalm 25:1 KJV

And the one verse that kept hitting me over and over again

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

So I'm going to face my fears. No freakin' idea how right now..but at least I know what needs to be done.

As for my old pick up? Still working on that one.. do I take lessons in auto shop again?

What about you? What fears do you need to face right now in your life?