Perseverance Pays Off

This all began on Saturday. We woke up and knew the van brakes weren't working on the front, drivers side. So we had parked it for a couple of weeks to save some pennies to buy the parts. We figured it would be relatively quick to fix, but low and behold, as most car problems are, it turned out to be a mess.

I really can't name all the problems we ran into! It just seemed like one thing after another. Biggest of them all, whoever installed the brakes before we bought the van must've used super glue (not literally, but there is a type of glue people use for car-fixing things) on the bolts that hold the brakes/rotor on. So my husband had to buy all sorts of weird tools, including a couple of specialty ones from the Honda dealership and NAPA auto parts to be able to remove them.  Well, those didn't come in until Tuesday. Mind you, I'm used to being with out a vehicle, so being without a van for a few days was really ok. For the first 4 years of marriage, we shared a car and got along just fine. But it was a blessing having my Honda Odyssey and I did feel a little bit "stranded" without something to drive! But hey, it taught me patience and more thankfulness for the things I have. Anyways, tonight as my husband worked, toiled, sweated and prayed over the brakes, I stood out there, trying my best to be cheerful and helpful. I don't know how many times I pumped the brakes to help bleed the air out of the system while he knelt down on the hard concrete trying to make sure it was working properly. We probably took the whole thing apart and put it back again at least three times tonight. But in the end, that precious feeling of the brake feeling stiff after pumping it a few times, happened! He took it for a drive and tested it out. It worked perfectly!

I guess I write all this to say how perseverance and determination really do pay off. Trial and error happens in all sorts of situations in our lives, but if we keep trying, if we keep setting our minds for a high goal, then we will obtain it. You won't believe how many times doubt entered my head and escaped my lips a few times, or the times my husband leaned his head into the van, frustration painted all over his face. But in spite of each failure, my husband would pick up the tools and just try something again. Nearing the end of the night, my husband finally picked up the phone and called my Dad. With all his experience and fatherly wisdom, he pointed my husband in one direction and told him to give it a try. It was a simple direction. He said, "Try adding more brake fluid and bleed it out. Top it off. See if that helps." Simple. So off Paul went to get more brake fluid and within minutes of topping the fluid out and pumping the brake literally three times, it was finished. Complete. Perfect. No squeals. Nothing.

Sometimes in our lives we reach road blocks. We find problems. We get overwhelmed. We want to give up. Sometimes we need to pick up the phone and ask for some wisdom. Sometimes we need to stop and pray. Sometimes we just need to keep going no matter what, despite how tired we are, how sore our feet feel or how dirty we get. Perseverance pays off.

And on a different note, same song, it saved us probably around $3k doing it ourselves. I am thankful God teaches me lessons through everything we do in life. It helps me grow and it helps me be more mature through situations in life down the road.