Me in an auto parts store

I went on a real adventure Saturday afternoon.  My husband sent me on an errand.  The objective was simple.  I was given a spark plug and told to get another spark plug just like it at the auto parts store. 

Auto parts stores on Saturday afternoon are very busy.  On this particular day, there were local townsfolk shopping for batteries and such, but there were also several people just passing through town who encountered trouble and needed help. 

There were two men in need of a carburetor.  Luckily, the gentleman at the counter had the exact carburetor they needed; however, there was evidently nobody in town to replace the old one.  The men got busy on their phones and tried to find the closest place that could help them.  They decided on Madisonville and set out as advised, without their air turned off and their fingers crossed, to hopefully make it to their destination. Another woman was stranded I guess because a tow truck came and towed her out of the parking lot.

My task seemed simple compared to all of theirs.  The kind lady looked at my spark plug and quickly searched for a match on her computer.  She found one and sent me on my way. 

When I got home and proudly showed it to my husband, he immediately knew it was the wrong one.  I could have given up at that point and let him go to town like he offered, but I did not.  I accepted the challenge, hopped back in the car, and headed back to town. 

Round two:  Upon closer inspection, the spark plug that had been used in our old Chevy was an after-market one.  There was not an exact match, but I got one that would work. 

I laughed as usual at the fiasco I found myself in.  I mean…me at the auto parts store, two times, talking spark plugs, yet not having a clue what I was talking about.  I obviously did not have any background knowledge of spark plugs to use as a reference point. I did not even know if I was on the right track or not.  I was clueless!  All I could do was laugh and “act” the part.

There are obviously things in life that are more important and crucial to me than spark plugs.  I can fully accept not knowing random truck parts.  I don’t even want to know about truck parts.  However, there are things I cannot accept knowing nothing about, such as having a good marriage, raising decent children, how to make my school better, how to help my community, etc. 

Most of all though, I want to know more about living a life that pleases the LORD and points others in the right direction, in HIS direction.  Even if I openly admit that life as a Christian is not perfect and that sin sure can get the best of me, I know without a doubt that walking hand in hand with Jesus Christ is the only way to go.  Jesus is peace, joy, and an abundance of everything good!  He is life.

If I want to know more about living a life pleasing to God, I will have to intentionally study the Word, listen to Christian music, pray, and spend time with the Lord.  Nothing good is going to come to me via osmosis.  My walk with the Lord does not just affect me either.  It is a ripple effect that touches my husband, children, students, and others in my community.   

In Acts 4:13 Luke writes about Peter and John “they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” 

My goal this week is to be with Jesus.  Join me.