Keep On Truckin

My truck got sick.

Really sick.

For those of you who do not know (and welcome, stranger) I have a unique, and possibly unhealthy, affection for my truck. In a season of my life where I've lost so many things that I used to help identify myself, my truck has been the one consistent material possession that always somehow made me feel a bit more like myself. It helped me get places I wanted to go, with the stuff that I wanted to have there, and did it, I might add, with style.

It's a great looking truck.

It has AC.

My boys fit.

It's carried people I love.

It's allowed me opportunities to help.

I think it's looking at me through the window of the coffee shop as I write this...I think.

Anyway, the point is, my truck, which I love, got sick.

I thought at first it was bad gas. I know, that sounds like I'm making a joke, but things started acting up after I opted for some discount fuel. I hoped that a good refill would get it back to normal, but things just seemed to get worse. It was coughing and misfiring something terrible. I thought it might be a clog in the fuel line from the aforementioned bad gas, but it happened irregularly. I did all of the things I knew how to do. Just the basics: new plugs, wires, and a new distributor. All needed to be changed and I hoped for the best. The engine ran great...but still had the same issue.  All that I could do was to take it to a friend who owed a shop who gave me the exciting news that my o2 censor had gone bad. Yes, that's good news considering what it could be. He changed out the o2 censor and all the wiring leading to the engine's computer.

It was still sick.

I drove it to work with all of the potential options in my brain of what to do next. A lot of money has been spent. There is very little left to work with.

I should pause here to make note of something. I am a man of faith and totally believe that God is present and able to do amazing things. But I also believe that I am responsible and have been given great tools to do things I need to do. For most of my decisions in life I have by hands firmly grasped around my own bootstraps.

This time, and there have been many times like this, my bootstraps are just out of my reach.

I got in my truck after my shift was done, knowing there was a long ride back and considered what this journey might entail when I felt my heart say: "Ask God to heal your truck."

Is this worth another pause? Maybe, just so you don't think I'm crazy. Is God in the business of healing machines? I know he heals bodies and hearts and minds and souls, but Dodge Dakotas? I can't really tell you how healing works to say for sure, but it seemed more foolish to not ask.

The truck worked.

All the way home.

And all night long.

I considered the concept of God faith healing my truck and the concept of faith in general.

Asking for things takes an extraordinary amount of faith...or use trust to make it less religious sounding. The sheer act of asking requires that I believe that I think someone is both able and willing to walk into my need.

Faith is the act of believing that once you have asked, your healing is coming.

I'm suspicions of faith healers and anyone that seems to treat God like some kind of butler. They give God their praise based on his performance. I've always felt like God is Who He Is regardless of His participation in the mess I've made of things.

But I digress.

I think God healed my truck.

Now, ask me if there has been any coughs of sputters.

Go ahead...ask.

Yes.

It still made me think about faith. I'm driving as if God has answered my prayer. The coughs are less frequent and the ride is stronger.  Maybe healing is coming slowly.

Healing is like that.

I have a friend recovering from knee surgery.  Surgery is done.  The knee is fixed.  However, look at the walking and you question the healing.

Maybe broken trucks are like that.

Maybe broken hearts are too.

All I know is, that I have a promise that as I walk, or drive, that I will have what I need to continue down the road. I'll get to my destination. I've got a truck full of broken bootstraps and angel feathers to prove that He heals.