Tires, Nails, and Jesus: When You Don't Know How to Fix It

When life hands you a problem you don't know how to fix

My husband borrowed my minivan to go to the airport and got home late last night. I was already in bed. Pajamas on. Teeth brushed. Mentally clocked out for the day.

And then he casually mentioned: “Hey, you have a nail in your tire.”

Apparently, the tire wouldn’t hold air. But not to worry! He had put the air compressor in the back of my van. All I needed to do in the morning was fill the tire up to some very important air-pressure number and then drive it over to Costco so they could remove the nail and patch the tire.

Perfect. Except for one tiny problem.

I don't know how to do ANY of those things.

I don't know how to use the air compressor. I don't know what the magic tire-pressure number is. I don't know where to find the magic tire-pressure number. And I definitely didn't want to learn any of this at 7:30 in the morning when I needed to get to work.

Thankfully, my kids were off school, so I grabbed my son's car and headed to work, leaving my poor impaled minivan sitting in the garage.

I was secretly hoping elves would come while I was gone and repair it.

They did not.

Apparently, tire-repair elves are not included with our Costco membership. But my husband heroically got an appointment at Costco and took the wounded minivan in for surgery.

Shwew.

You don't have to solve every problem alone

Between the nail, the air compressor, and my complete lack of automotive skills, I realized:

I spend a lot of time worrying about problems I don't actually have to solve by myself.

There are moments when life hands us something we don't know how to fix. Sometimes it's a tire. Sometimes it's a relationship. A decision. A child we're worried about. A financial problem. A diagnosis. A work situation. A future that suddenly feels uncertain. And immediately, our minds start scrambling for the air compressor.

What do I need to do? How do I fix this? What's the right answer? What if I mess it up?

We assume that because the problem has landed in our lives, we must also possess the knowledge, strength, and ability to solve it. But God never promised that we would know what to do in every situation. He promised something much better.

He would be with us in it.

This week's Faith Habit

Open your hands and pray, “Jesus, I don't know what to do with this. But You do. Show me my next step.”

My minivan is home. The nail is gone. The tire is patched. Crisis averted.

And isn't it funny how something that feels like a giant problem in one moment can be completely handled by the next? Maybe that's worth remembering the next time something unexpected punctures your perfectly planned day.

Today's giant problem might just be tomorrow's patched tire. Trust God. Take the next step. Let Him handle what you can't.

And if anyone needs me, I'll be driving around with an air compressor in the back of my van that I still have absolutely no idea how to use.