Engine Lights & Little Errors

No one likes it when the 'check engine' light comes on. I find that there are two ways to deal with it. Some people prefer one, some the other. Sometimes we switch between the two. The first type of response is ignoring the light and hoping it will go away. This is the brilliant strategy people who are unfamiliar with cars tend to use. Second is having the engine checked out. Of course we all know what we are supposed to do as good, safe drivers. But tragically, we often find ourselves ignoring the light until it turns off. And as any good mechanic will tell you, that doesn't mean that the problem is actually gone. Often times, we keep driving until the minor problem we started with creates a major engine failure.

"So now you're a mechanic?" you may be asking. No, frankly I'm terrible with vehicles. That's one reason these little engine lights frighten me. But there's a lot we can learn from car trouble.

How often has it happened to you that your 'check conscience' light went off when you knew there was something wrong? Did you promptly check under the hood to see what caused it? Or did you do what so many drivers do and keep going hoping it will turn itself off? Sometimes we think that if we can keep going without any weird noise that no one else will notice we're driving in what may soon be a death trap. I've heard some drivers stick tape over the engine light so that it is 'out of sight, out of mind.' All too often we Christians have a similar view with our conscience. We think that if we just ignore the Holy Spirit's reminders that it will be ok, as if sin has some sort of expiration date. I'm afraid that it doesn't. Ignoring a simple warning can cause much more serious problems.

Yeah, but what about those times that it is really just some small problem; say a burnt out sensor? When its not the engine, but it looks like it is? Well, for a car that's an easy fix. For our soul sometimes it is, too. But how do we know which is which? We find that those who take good care of their cars; those who know what is under the hood and take time to make sure that everything is working like it should; these people can find the problem with their car much more quickly than your average Joe. They can tell whether or not it is a small hiccup, a natural burnout that needs some care, or something more complicated. In the same way if we take care to keep our conscience clear and clean we can also know when its just a small item (like a burnt out sensor) or something that requires more attention. The trick to this is knowing the difference, or knowing someone who can tell us.

No matter how hard some of us try, we just aren't mechanics. We stare long and hard at all the random junk under that hood, we use all our concentration to will the thing to start, and then we kick the tires and hope that whatever went wrong just disappeared. So far that still doesn't work for me. But when this tactic fails yet again, I take it to someone who has experience with motors, preferably someone who has worked on one like it before, or better yet, have it tuned by the guys who make them. Talk about costly, though. Those guys seem to think the whole world runs on gas. (ok, maybe they're right) After paying these guys ten times what I would of had to if I had taken the light seriously the first time; I head home.

We can all be thankful that the Mechanic that designed our very souls will gladly help us take a look under the hood free of charge. Ironically, this free service is useless without our consent and effort, however. Our Creator isn't just interested in 'fixing it' so we can go on our jolly way. He wants to show us why it broke, how we can correct it so it doesn't happen again in the future, and most of all, He wants to show us that the light is there to help us, not ruin our fun. For all its complex beauty, the engine is nothing compared to the soul God has given us. Its an imperishable gift that works most beautifully when its in the care of the One Who made it. It is only in giving it back to Him that it will ever work the way it was meant to.

So in the end, it turns out the only way to have a car that works is to take care of it and take all the warnings seriously, regardless of timing or convenience. Ignoring some small problem can destroy the entire engine. That same idea applies to our very soul. Keep that maintenance up. Don't forget that anything that works the way its supposed to needs much time and effort. And never assume that the light is there to spoil your fun.