Recently I’ve been getting some things fixed on my car. A new alternator last month, then new brakes, bearings, and bushings this month.
I’m very thankful for a local mechanic who does work very quickly for a cheap price. Usually it only takes a day to get things fixed up.
At the same time, I need to learn how to do things like this myself.
An interesting thing about living on the mission field is you need to fix things yourself.
- There is no Lowes or Home Depot
- There are no automotive superstores
- There aren’t a huge amount of mechanics who are trustworthy
The problem with this is I’m bad at fixing things….
Really, really bad!
This isn’t a disrespect to myself since the Lord has simply gifted me in other areas. So I’d much rather pay someone locally who can do the work properly instead of trying to do it myself.
The problem with this is a big part of missions is learning to do new things, particularly new things you aren’t very good at.
There is nothing wrong with not being good at something….there is a lot wrong with not not trying to do something.
Hidden beneath my paying someone to do a job is an embarrassment about my lack of skill with doing it. It’s just easier to outsource the job instead of attracting attention of others by my poor attempts.
But it’s only through trial and failure that a person grows.
To put it a practical way for myself, the more I try to fix things, the better I will get at fixing things. And someone who sets aside their “male ego” for a few moments and attempts something new gains the respect of many.
It will probably be a very long time till I do some work on my car….
But I can still practice fixing small things, and learn from those who do it better than me.
As the mechanic fixed my bushing Monday morning I sat, watched, and learned. I didn’t get involved at all 1 but wanted to learn how it was done. The funny thing is it wasn’t as hard as it looked.
I’m grateful the Lord reminded me anyone can excel at what they do well. Only the courageous get better at what they don’t do well.
- Not quite ready for that yet ↩
Johnhwilburn.org 