wrecking

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Being A User Versus Being A Maintainer

I am a user, because I’m better at using things than I am at taking care of things. Is there anyone out there who’s like me?

being a user verses being a maintainer

When I was growing up, my mother thought my brother and I should go into the wrecking business when we grew up. We were so good at it.

Some people are very good at maintaining things. They care for their lawns, their cars, and maintain all the necessary things in their homes. 

But I’m not wired up that way. I was built to use things. I don’t have time to care for things because after I have used them, I’m on to something else.

The truth is, I like the idea of caring for my things. … I would really like to have a car that sparkles all the time, but I’m too busy using it to take the time to make it sparkle. 

I chalk it up to my genes. This propensity to care for things or to just use things comes to us from our parents and their parents before them.

I figure my user mentality has just been passed down to me. 

The upside to my bent on life is that I get to enjoy a lot of things. The downside is when they break down they end up costing me more … more time to fix them or more money to get them repaired. 

I kind of do that with my cars. I’d never own a car until it became an antique. It just wouldn’t last that long for me. 

Unfortunately, I discovered this week that I also do that with my bike.

Over the last year I’ve broken the chain on my bike at least twice – maybe three times, I can’t remember. 

If it happens once, it’s no big deal, but if it keeps happening, there’s something wrong. 

This week I took my bike in to get a tune-up and a new chain.  

When the mechanic looked at my bike, he said “Man, look at those rear chain rings! I’m surprised you haven’t broken your neck!”

I figured from that comment that I’d be purchasing new rear chain rings. 

He didn’t like the look of my front chain ring either. And my rear derailleur was pretty worn. 

The bottom line was my bike was a mess. 

My mechanic called me later and said my front brake rotor was all bent too and should be replaced. 

I replied, “just put in on the tab”.

A few days later, he called me back to tell me my bike was all ready to go – ready for me to use it again, that is. 

The bill was pricey. Some people would spend as much as I paid to buy a new bike from Canadian Tire. 

When I got it home, I vowed that I was going to take care of my bike from now on. 

But who am I kidding? I’m a user and it’s tough to break old habits. 

Here’s the thing: Some people care more about the set up when relating to God. They need the  proper things to be in place to ensure their time with God will be optimal. Other people just focus on meeting with God. It may be different each time and sometimes it might be messy. But the thing is, there is no right or wrong way to meet with God. Figure out how you best relate to Him and make it happen.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Are you someone who cares for things or just uses them? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I’m Good At Wrecking Shoes

I came close to wrecking an expensive pair of shoes the other day.

I normally keep my shoes in good shape for a few years, but this pair I almost lost within six months of buying them.

When I was in my teens I remember my mom complaining that I wrecked running shoes (sneakers) in no time. But that was when I was young and foolish.

This week I got a call that there was a flood at our church. And when I was putting on my shoes to leave, I remember Lily saying to me, “You shouldn’t wear those; wear something old.”

But I thought that the call about the flood was an exaggeration so I said, “Don’t worry about it; they’ll be okay.”

Since then Lily has reiterated several times that she told me not to wear those shoes.

Okay, so she was right.

When I got to the church the flood was definitely a flood. In places the water was pooling on top of the carpet, and there was a little lake that spanned a hallway into two other classrooms.

The job was way too much for the one shop vac that we have, so I immediately called our carpet guy to get him on the job – fast.

The thing about flooding is you’re not usually the only one who’s flooded and so we had to wait a few hours for the carpet guy to actually arrive.

I figured I would do some prep for the professionals.

I had a helper who was madly using the shop vac in one hallway. But in the rooms we had all kinds of furniture that needed to get to dryer ground and out of the way for the carpet cleaner.

I decided to be the mover while we waited for water suction reinforcements.

The problem with that was it meant I had to walk through the pools of water in the various rooms to get the furniture out.

By the time I was done, so were my shoes. They were soaked through but looked okay.

When I got home, I told Lil that my shoes were really wet. And that was the first time she said, “I told you not to wear those shoes.”

Well, after letting them dry for two days, I still needed to blow some some warm through them.

When they were finally dry, they also looked ruined. The leather uppers had lost some of their shape, and there were white marks all over them.

That was the second time Lily said, “I told you not to wear them.”

But graciously she also said she would try to do something with them.

That evening she brought me my shoes and said, “Look at how well they turned out.”

I was amazed! They looked basically as good as they did before the dunking. I thanked her for all she did, and she reminded me one more time that I shouldn’t have worn them.

… But I’ll probably end up wearing them for something else I shouldn’t – that’s why, way back in the day, my mom was right when she said I was good at wrecking shoes.

Here’s the thing: It’s great to get another chance, but God has given us more than a second chance. He is so patient that we get multitudinous chances to trust our life to Him. And then He continues to forgive us of our wrongs. Now that’s a second chance!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need a second chance with? Leave your comments below.