What are a few of your favorite things? A cousin of mine started a group where we would share some of our favorite things with short descriptions that we have used over the years from tools to pots and pans and knives to boots and chainsaws and any other thing that seems to last forever. Among other things, I shared about a shop-vac that has lasted me over 15 years, and a chainsaw that is over 25 years old and still seems to start almost every time. I’m sure we also have stories of new things we bought that broke after just a couple of uses as well. I had a friend who had an engine go bad in a new car he had less than 2 years, so when it comes to stuff, there are not guarantees on how long it will last, but a few warranties may help replace them. Are there any things you have been more than satisfied with over the years that you would recommend to everyone else?
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8
I bought my current work vehicle from a friend back in 2008, when it reached the end of its 40k mile manufacturer’s warranty, but it had been a good car for them. Over the years, it has had a couple of small issues, and the normal wear and tear on tires, brakes, suspension, etc, but it has been a good car all of its 240k miles so far. I even sold it to a friend who lived up in the mountains of Colorado for a year, till he decided it was too small for his family, so I flew out to pick it up and drive it home again. It has now started to rust, and may look a little rough, but still drives as well as when I first got it, and is really a fun car to drive, so I say I’m going to drive it ‘till the wheels fall off’, or at least till the repairs are more than the value of the vehicle. So, I’m kind of committed to it, as it seems to be committed to me. Are there any things you have committed to for life? Maybe you are loyal to certain brands or follow a certain preacher because what they say resonates with you. Is there anything that would change your mind about these things? If you got a bad vehicle from your favorite manufacturer, would your loyalty then end?
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Often with most of my friends, once I learn to trust them with small things, I am usually committed to that friendship for life. Even if we don’t see each other or talk for months or years, we often resume our conversations where we left off. I’d even go out of my way to help them if needed, and enjoy the opportunity to do so. It’s similar with family, even if you don’t get along that well, as you are usually still stuck being family, so we try to make the best of it. How about in your faith? Are you equally as committed to seeing your faith through the end of your life, or does it depend on how things go? If you encounter financial troubles, difficultly in relationships, or health problems, do you feel the same toward God as when things are good, through thick and thin? God does not change even though we may fluctuate, so take heart that his promises are true yesterday, today, and forever!
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Yours in Christ,
Clark
