Fools Rush In
I am a huge (HUGE) fan of the classics: classic movies, classic cars, classic jazz music, classic literature…you name it. In fact, many precious memories from my childhood include attending classic car shows or watching classic movies with my Dad. He was also fond of throwing a vinyl record on the turntable (if anyone remembers those) so we could dance around to Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and more “modern” artists such as Connie Francis, Bobby Vinton, and not to be left out, the infamous Elvis Presley.
Recently we had some issues with our “almost-classic Family Truckster.” The “check engine” light went on in our beloved, reliable minivan. When we took it to our trusted mechanic, his report on the state of our minivan is one that no family wants to hear: “It’s the transmission.”
To add insult to injury, this same scenario had played out three years ago practically to the day and our hearts sank as we weighed our options. Three years ago, we thought this news meant we had to scrap the car and buy something else. We had some money in the bank to do this, but we weren’t confident that we would find anything comparable to our vehicle and we were nervous about buying someone else’s problems.
After much deliberation, discernment and prayer, we decided to make the necessary repairs and have our mechanic install a new transmission. He was confident that this would make the car road-worthy and sound for years to come. He ordered a new transmission directly from our automaker, which carried a three-year/36,000 mile warranty on it.
Imagine our chagrin when, three years and two days later, we given the same news. We had some confidence in having the warranty, but the automaker balked about it because it was two days past our original installation date. Five days later, they concluded that they would allow us to have the part for free, but we would have to pay for the labor. A transmission is not an easy installation, which means that the labor will be expensive. Finding ourselves in a similar predicament as we did only three years ago, I was less than enthusiastic about fixing the van, which I had once driven with so much confidence.
However, the morning we faced making our decision, a particularly timely classic tune started playing in my head. I heard Doris Day’s smooth, melodic voice singing: “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread…”
Amid my angst and stress, with “…my heart above my head,” I was given pause as I listened to her beautiful voice and I realized that the Lord was trying to tell me that he had already taken care of it. We were ready to throw our hands in the air and walk away from all the frustration, trade in this “lemon,” and be done with it, even if it meant signing up for a car payment. “Fools rush in where wise men never go…”
Suffice it to say, we’re getting the van repaired and not rushing into anything that we might regret later. I will say that this experience has definitely opened our eyes to our complacency and we will be trying to save for a replacement van much more aggressively in the future:
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
—”Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.” Romans 12:2
