I have a bit of an embarrassing story, but wanted to share anyway.
As summer is approaching, the air conditioning in my car seemed to not work. This is not the first time, and the heat doesn’t really bother me, but it bothers my daughter and I also know I’ll likely be shuttling around friends who would not do well in a hot car.
I also realized I needed to have my back brake light replaced, so decided to take my car to my favorite mechanic who works not too far from where I live.
I dropped the car off, explaining my issues. He told me he’d need to hook it up to the machine to see if there was a potential problem and if not, he would add some freon (the cooling gas in air conditioners).
True to his word, he called me a few hours later.
‘Kaysi, there’s nothing wrong with the AC. I tested it and it’s getting to 45 degrees’
I asked if he was sure, but I’d been going to him for a few years, so I knew he was to be trusted. He was also telling me that he didn’t actually need to do any work – which is not what most mechanics usually say.
He promised to show me how to set the dials to ensure that I got maximum air conditioning benefits.
When I went back, he gets the car, and shows me the temperature and how cool the car gets – then he shows me how to set the dials.
Here’s for the embarrassing part. I’ve owned this car for nine years. Most summers I’ve just endured the heat assuming that the AC didn’t work well.
Some days later, as I drove in my very cool car I thought of how long I’d had access to cooler temperatures in the summer, and yet I had not used it, enduring scorching heat and arriving hot and sweaty to places.
I also thought of how long I had access to the amazing love, peace and joy that Jesus offered, and yet, I often chose not to access it, opting to just suffer through whatever it was I was dealing with.
I don’t know, but somehow that’s no longer how I want to operate in life. I don’t want to have access to these amazing things, but never reach out and ask for help on how to better utilize them in my daily life.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the access that you so freely give us. Thank you that you love us so much that you desire to be in constant relationship with us. Help us to not suffer through whatever we are going through, while such easy access is available to us.