Lessons I Learned From Brake Repair

Both cars and people have a lot going on inside, out of view. In either case, if we don’t properly diagnose and fix our hidden problems, the results could be deadly.

On my way home from work today, my car was making a terrible noise. After contemplating getting rid of it or having it fixed, I decided I would take my first stab at analyzing and fixing my car trouble. Here is my experience and some lessons I learned from my first DIY car repair.

Diagnosing the problem

First, I attempted to take off the front wheel. With an already injured wrist, I nearly stripped the lug nuts trying to turn the tire iron. Eventually I was able to take the front wheel off. Next I investigated the brakes. The caliper was a challenge, since it had not been taken off in almost four years. Initially, when I took the outside brake pad off, it looked fine. I ran my hand along the rotor, and it felt smooth.

At first, everything looked fine. But then the inside brake pad or what little was left of it fell out from behind the rotor. With no evidence of a pad on this piece of rust, I decided to feel the back of the rotor. Jagged and rough, it was evident this was the problem.

I proceeded to remove the rotor, but not without injury. Struggling with one bolt, I slammed the back of my arm into my fender, leaving a nice bruise. When I finally had the rotor in my hand, I saw the back—rusty, ugly and damaged.

Out of sight

So why do I share this? Sometimes when we drive our cars, they feel great. Sometimes the cars may even look great! You could think that your car is in pretty good shape—if you only look at the shiny outside or at the pieces that are easy to reach. But how does the car sound? Pulling apart the internal parts and finding what has been missed in the routine maintenance can be quite revealing as to the actual value of your car.

This same principle applies to the way we live. Do we approach one another with what appears to be love, yet show a lack of love in our private thoughts and actions? Do we keep the letter of the commandments and stop there? Do we dress our best when needed, but do our attitudes and habits distance us from others?

Problems on the inside

The Jews looked up to the Pharisees as spiritual and religious role models. In Mark 7, the Pharisees questioned the disciples because they hadn’t washed their hands in the ritual manner before they ate. Christ responded perfectly by pointing out what Isaiah had said: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6-7).

Christ simply stated that although these Pharisees looked good, they were not good. The Jews thought that they operated according to the law, but a thorough examination showed that there was a very serious problem inside. Essentially, like the back side of my rotor was rusty and damaged, they were ugly and dysfunctional as men of God.

Rotten on the inside?

Years ago, I heard a sermonette on this topic. The speaker used the example of an apple that looked beautiful, fresh and crisp on the outside, but underneath the flesh was rotten and soft.

The speaker posed a question: Will we go through the motions on the outside but be rotten on the inside? He went on to explain that sin is a heart problem and that we don’t always see it. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.”

Don’t ignore problems

A car is a machine that requires regular maintenance or it could cost you your life. What would happen if I ignored the sound and lost all brake power on the highway or on a narrow road? I could try to use the emergency brake, but would that guarantee my protection from an accident if I was moving at 60 miles an hour? If I had ignored the sound my brakes were making, would I not have lacked wisdom?

Likewise, if we are pushing people away, maybe we ought to look internally. “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin’?” (Proverbs 20:9). Revelation 3:17 gives this warning answer: “You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

It takes godly self-examination and real repentance. Ignoring our internal problems can cost us our life.

Car repair takes education, hard work, diligent attention to details and sometimes a few bruises and scrapes. But it is worth it to have a car that is finely tuned inside and out. In a similar way, God expects us, whether strong or weak, to approach our calling with all our might, learn about Him, see ourselves for what we really are, correct the problem areas and become a good example of His faith inside and out.

I have learned a lot about the complexity of the brake system—and its simplicity as well. While there are many parts that act together to make the car slow down and stop efficiently, a little awareness and occasional maintenance can go a long way.

Let’s make sure our spiritual brakes are in working order by minding our tongues, actions and thoughts and loving one another as God loves us.

John Columbo is happily married with two sons, Michael and Jacob, and attends the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.

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