TELL ABOUT A FRUSTRATING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD WITH A CAR.
We (David and I) had bought for about $250 a little brown VW Rabbit. That’s all we had to get around in with all 6 of our kids. In fact, we even bought the swamp cooler for our home at K-Mart and brought it home in the back of that little car (3” sticking in the car and the rest of the box hanging out of the car—David’s a whiz with ropes and knots).
Well, eventually the poor old thing needed to die. We couldn’t afford to replace it so we kept resurrecting it. Like when the turn signal indicator handle broke off, David inserted a long metal screw which you had to force down or up and hold it in position while you were steering and shifting with your other hand when you made a turn.
At one point the breaks needed to be done. Brake pads and brake fluid ran about $40, if you can get them fixed right the first time. To have the brakes repaired at a shop ran closer to $200.
Well, about an additional $10 later (several large bottles of brake fluid) David had been trying to bleed the air out of the brake lines so the brakes would be firm rather than firm, then squishy, and then non existent.
We had no money to take it in. David was so frustrated with trying to get the brakes to work. I was frustrated too, for I knew he had done all he could, yet it wasn’t enough. Having way less knowledge and ability in auto mechanics than David, I offered my only help, “Call Gaylene’s husband Jim—he used to work on VW’s and may have a bright idea of some special trick to resolve this.”
Oh, David left the kitchen in total frustration and anger. This left me feeling even more frustrated and angry.
I went out to the David and the car and said, “I know you’re frustrated. So am I. You know more about fixing these kinds of things than I. I’m offering the only ‘help’ I can. This is not your problem, it’s our problem.” That was the day the concept of both of us were in a common yoke (marriage covenant) pulling the burdens and blessings of life. His problems (strengths, blessings, weaknesses) are mine, my problems (strengths, blessings, weaknesses) are his.
Well, eventually the poor old thing needed to die. We couldn’t afford to replace it so we kept resurrecting it. Like when the turn signal indicator handle broke off, David inserted a long metal screw which you had to force down or up and hold it in position while you were steering and shifting with your other hand when you made a turn.
At one point the breaks needed to be done. Brake pads and brake fluid ran about $40, if you can get them fixed right the first time. To have the brakes repaired at a shop ran closer to $200.
Well, about an additional $10 later (several large bottles of brake fluid) David had been trying to bleed the air out of the brake lines so the brakes would be firm rather than firm, then squishy, and then non existent.
We had no money to take it in. David was so frustrated with trying to get the brakes to work. I was frustrated too, for I knew he had done all he could, yet it wasn’t enough. Having way less knowledge and ability in auto mechanics than David, I offered my only help, “Call Gaylene’s husband Jim—he used to work on VW’s and may have a bright idea of some special trick to resolve this.”
Oh, David left the kitchen in total frustration and anger. This left me feeling even more frustrated and angry.
I went out to the David and the car and said, “I know you’re frustrated. So am I. You know more about fixing these kinds of things than I. I’m offering the only ‘help’ I can. This is not your problem, it’s our problem.” That was the day the concept of both of us were in a common yoke (marriage covenant) pulling the burdens and blessings of life. His problems (strengths, blessings, weaknesses) are mine, my problems (strengths, blessings, weaknesses) are his.
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