Small and Simple Things
Tonight I (re)learned a powerful truth.
My wife’s truck wouldn’t start. We’ve been fortunate enough to not have major car troubles for a long time but tonight I thought our luck had changed for the worst.
She was off to a meeting and when she went to start her Yukon XL, our massive 8-seater SUV, it wouldn’t crank. When she called I was immediately worried that even if it was something as simple as a dead battery it could mean a minimum of $120 to get her back up and running.
I tried to jump start it with my truck, no dice.
I started Googling and watching YouTube videos about what could be happening. Was it the starter? The alternator? My teenage memories of working as an auto-service tech in our family’s service station came back to me and I recalled my father’s wisdom on such things, but wasn’t able to figure it out.
My son was with me: my 14-year-old sidekick who always brings a positive attitude and good luck.
After about half an hour, he suggested we pray and so I asked him if he would do that. Every time we’ve been in this situation and he’s remembered that, miracles have occurred. Seriously. Tonight was no different.
It took a while but what I found out was that the issue was due to the most unlikely culprit: a 2-amp fuse.
I was reading things that mentioned the possibility that the ignition switch could have been bad. Or the electronic control module. Or the on-board computer. I was reading that some of these could cost up to $500 to fix. Despair was starting to set in.
I knew that I should start with the smallest things: fuses. I bought a fuse tester and tested all the big ones that were suggested. The 40-amp starter fuse, the 25-amp ignition fuse, and all the rest, including a 175 amp “mega” fuse. I skipped over and over the smallest one, this little gray 2 amp fuse and I was certain that could not be it.
I was wrong.
This repair cost me $4.99.
It just didn’t make any sense. This was the smallest fuse in the entire vehicle and the only one this size.
After it was all done, I had remembered that in church today a speaker spoke of “small and simple things” often having the most important impact in our lives. In this case, it was the tiniest of electrical parts on a ginormous automobile used to transport our family of eight.
I also remembered my son’s faith and his little prayer, invoking the Almighty to help us.
What a significant thought, that by small and simple means, great things can come to be. Sometimes it is the prayer of a child. Sometimes a kind word, a thoughtful gesture to a stranger, a tiny dose of medication, a mindful approach to food and sleep, a seemingly insignificant amount of effort, or a teeny little fuse that you can buy with the spare change in your cup holder can get you powered back up again on on the road to where you’re going.
I am so thankful that this wasn’t some huge and expensive ordeal and I will have to remember that so often it is the littlest of things that make all the difference.
What small things are keeping your engine from running like it should?
I was reading things that mentioned the possibility that the ignition switch could have been bad. Or the electronic control module. Or the on-board computer. I was reading that some of these could cost up to $500 to fix. Despair was starting to set in.
I knew that I should start with the smallest things: fuses. I bought a fuse tester and tested all the big ones that were suggested. The 40-amp starter fuse, the 25-amp ignition fuse, and all the rest, including a 175 amp “mega” fuse. I skipped over and over the smallest one, this little gray 2 amp fuse and I was certain that could not be it.
I was wrong.
This repair cost me $4.99.
It just didn’t make any sense. This was the smallest fuse in the entire vehicle and the only one this size.
After it was all done, I had remembered that in church today a speaker spoke of “small and simple things” often having the most important impact in our lives. In this case, it was the tiniest of electrical parts on a ginormous automobile used to transport our family of eight.
I also remembered my son’s faith and his little prayer, invoking the Almighty to help us.
What a significant thought, that by small and simple means, great things can come to be. Sometimes it is the prayer of a child. Sometimes a kind word, a thoughtful gesture to a stranger, a tiny dose of medication, a mindful approach to food and sleep, a seemingly insignificant amount of effort, or a teeny little fuse that you can buy with the spare change in your cup holder can get you powered back up again on on the road to where you’re going.
I am so thankful that this wasn’t some huge and expensive ordeal and I will have to remember that so often it is the littlest of things that make all the difference.
What small things are keeping your engine from running like it should?