Tune-Up For Performance

I remember my first car…it was a wrecked 1964 Ford Falcon my neighbor had sitting in his driveway. If my memory serves me correctly, a motorcycle had hit it head-on and the entire front skin was messed up. Hood. Grill. Bumper. Fenders. You get the picture. To look good it needs a dress-up! For best performance? Well, that little 6-cylinder, 1 barrel, 2-speed powertrain would take a lot to perform to the best ability.

Cost? $95.00!

I scoured the junkyard for parts and finally found the front end of a ’65 Ford Falcon. It was a different color, so when I married the parts together I had a two-tone car. Dark blue in the back, and turquoise in the front! I was a fashion leader!

Still, the powertrain needed some help. Plugs. Points. Condensers. Fuel filter. Air filter. Fresh fuel. Oil and oil filter. Even a new battery. If my memory serves me correctly, again, I had to replace at least one hose, but all others looked okay. I even had to rebuild the carburetor as it was full of sand in the bowl.

Teenager, Start Your Engine!

Done!

I drove that car everywhere. Proud of my work, but not caring how others perceived it. Later, I heard some just laughed when I drove that car into the parking lot. It was funny to look at, and did not have the huge engines and tires of a muscle car, but it fit my life to a “T”.

I could not care less what others thought. This car was all about me and what I did to get on the road!

Eventually, it went to my brother, and eventually, some guys bought it for parts of a racer they were working on. I went on to a 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger, Orange, White Vinyl roof, and White bucket seats. AM Radio was still normal back then, but I did add an FM convertor. Still, it was only a 225 slant-6 cylinder engine that was very good on gas.

I will admit. It looked nicer than that old rebuilt Falcon. Though I would love a Falcon/Ranchero today, it was in the Dodge that I met my bride. For some reason, if I’m eating a popsicle, then it must be orange. Orange sherbert is the best after Chocolate. My toothbrush should have orange in the handle. And my favorite color of the Fiesta plates my bride loves, well, let’s just say both shades of orange fit me to another perfect “T”.

My Thought This Morning

While thinking about these two cars and the life I had with them, I compared them to my present day truck. I’ve had it 17 years and it’s cost me very little maintenance dollars to keep it in tip-top shape. It’s approaching 400,000 miles and will probably reach that next year, and even though it’s not as “up-to-date” as modern vehicles, I have added several features to keep me in-tune with new gadgets. The radio unit has gone through two upgrades so I can have satelite, USB and Bluetooth access as needed. A rearview camera and backup mirror has been added and that comes in handy when attaching a trailer.

If I was younger I would probably want to add some other outside accessories to make it a better “looking” truck. I’ve done it to trucks in my past and can see me with an updated rig today. Except. I don’t need those things to be happy with my truck! It’s never had a traditional “tune-up”… It’s a diesel. But regular fluid and filter changes keep it running properly.

That’s what you do to last the distance. Keep it tuned up for performance!

Analogy

The analogy may go like this:

Your life needs regular tune-ups to keep functioning properly.

Yes. We watch our diet, exercise, visits to the doctor and pharmacy for proper treatments, and even sometimes we throw in meditation, vacations, and time-off to keep our lives on an even keel.

Do you focus on your relationships? You should if you want top-notch performance out of them!

We even watch our finances, at times, with an eagle eye to make sure we’re on track for our future.

We go to to church for purpose, and from that we have a weekly check-in to ensure we are functioning correctly. Additionally, we pray, worship and read our Word every day and that makes the weekly check-ins easier.

So. Where am I going with this?

I was thinking about a recently used verse of scripture from the Message translation that speaks to me about checking my life out to ensure everything is in order.

Think This Through

Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith.
Don’t drift along taking everything for granted.
Give yourselves regular checkups.
You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you.
Test it out.
If you fail the test, do something about it.
I hope the test won’t show that we have failed.
But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours.
We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you.
We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
We don’t just put up with our limitations;
we celebrate them,
and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you.
We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.
(Message) 2 Corinthians 13:5-9

Notice that Paul is talking about those he’s reached and their responsibilities. Yet, he’s also talking about himself. You cannot just give advice, you must take it yourself!

“Remember, I’m pulling for ya. We’re all in this together!” ~Red Green Show
(You just have to know the reference!)