wear and tear

Yesterday I spent time replacing the brakes and shocks on the rear of my mini van. And yes they needed to be changed. As I was banging the drum with my hammer with great force  to get it off  and turning the wrench with great exertion, I realized that these parts were not going down without a fight.

They did their job well for a long time and had plenty of wear and tear on them. They had run their race well, but it was time for an overhaul. In fact, it was dangerous for these parts to try to do what they were built to do. They were no longer able to perform at their best and for that matter could now hurt others in trying to do so.

It made me wonder how many of us need an overhaul spiritually, physically, emotionally, and relationally. It made me wonder who we might be hurting because we have not had an overhaul lately. It made me wonder how many of us really need to have it hammered out of us, before we would ever give it up.

Yet, some of the best work that has ever happened in my life has been when God has had to chip away at my hard heart and stubborn will. Yet, when I finally  gave up my will for his the long overdue overhaul of my life it produced a better functioning machine.

The other thought as I finally replaced these parts was this "why did I wait so long?" Are you overdue?