Tag: jump start

Posted in God, Life

Time for a new battery

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Rowl-rowl-rowl-rowl.

Uh-oh. I know exactly what that sound means. I’ll give it one more try.

Click.

Yep, I knew it. Battery’s dead. “Battery’s dead; I’m going to get a new one.”

“How do you know it’s the battery?”

It’s usually the battery. Life in the Sunshine State means your car will need a new battery every three years. It works fine one day, and it’s DOA the next.

Has it really been three years already? I rummaged through the glove box. Yes! I knew I saved the receipt. It’s a little faded, but I can still read it. It was a three-year battery. Of course, the three-year replacement warranty ran out last week.

The good news? The car was parked in my driveway, right next to my other car, well within jumper cable distance. I opened the hoods of both cars grabbed my jumper cables and got to work. I’ve done this lots of times, but I paused and decided to glance at the owner’s manual. Which car do I hook up first? On which car do I clamp onto the engine bracket? I just wanted to be sure. I have a lot of respect for that little black box I trust to start the car each morning.

That morning I had just read about God’s presence on Mount Sinai while Moses and Israel camped nearby. They were told to keep their distance. Don’t touch. Don’t even get near. I thought to myself, “I probably fear this small black battery in my car than I fear God.”

I’ll bet that’s true for most folks. We have little fear of God. He’s a friend. Compassionate. Merciful. Slow to anger. Abounding in steadfast love.

All of that is true. But God is also holy. Isaiah took that for granted until he found himself in God’s presence (read Isaiah 6). Then he feared for his life. After that, he got a very clear view of God’s mercy.

The holiness of God not only reveals the depth of our sinfulness, but also the depth of grace. We need both to grasp how high and wide and deep and long is the love of God.

Posted in Moments of grace

How about a jump?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I had just parked the truck in a spot at Home Depot when a woman came up next to me and asked, “Excuse me, sir, would you be able to give us a jump?”

Well, she got a jump out of me! I was startled because I hadn’t seen her come up behind me. I’m usually more aware of those around me. She seemed to be a few years older than me, was dressed like she had been out working in the yard, and seemed friendly enough. Unfortunately, the folks who come up to you in parking lots are typically selling something or asking you for money. I really hate the fact that I’ve become wary of everyone around me.

I stuffed my fear and put on my “be strong and courageous” pants and said, “Okay.” She pointed to a van a few parking lanes away where her husband stood with the hood up.

“Do you have jumper cables?”

“Yes.”

“OK, I’ll pull over in that spot right next to you.”

I had only had my truck for a few months and I don’t think I had even opened the hood yet to know which side the battery was on. I’ll figure that out when I get there. I pulled up as close as I could, popped the hood and felt around for the latch. I felt pretty foolish when I had to get the manual out of the glovebox to see where the latch was. Apologizing for my ignorance, I propped open the hood only to find that the battery was on the opposite side. Sigh. Maybe it will reach. It did! Just barely. Whew.

Their battery must have been really dead, because it took about five minutes of idling to get the engine to turn over. Everyone’s face lit up when the engine turned over and roared to life.

We chatted for a little bit. They had a home in the Hammock (part of our town on the barrier island), but were spending most of their time at their place in Colorado. Because of the COVID quarantine, they hadn’t been back for nearly a year, and they had a feeling the battery didn’t have too many starts left in it. But they had made the run to Home Depot anyway.

As they and I pulled away to go about our errands, I thanked God for the reminder that most people aren’t up to something. And even if they are, they’re worthy of a few amps of help. Oh, and thanks to all who have and will give me a jump start, too.