I was recently on my way to the Gateway Church for a Connect Group. Everything seemed okay until I drove onto the highway. Then, once I hit 60 MPH (not the 88 MPH it took the Delorean to time travel), my car began to violently shake.
Honestly, I thought my car was falling apart. The way it shook and sounded, you would’ve thought so as well.
Photo by Victor Xok
Thankfully, my car wasn’t falling apart. But it did need some help. A small issue needed to be taken care of.
I pulled into the parking lot of another local church. I looked at my wheel wells and saw the problem. My wheel wells were packed with snow and ice. This had to be the cause of the problem.
I took out my trusty snow brush and ice scraper and began working to remove the excess snow. I worked my way around the whole care. Finally, I was free to continue my trip to church.
Once I hit the highway, I knew I didn’t fix the problem. The vibration was still there. Ughh!
I finished my trip to the church. There, I looked at my car one more time. This is when I saw the small problem that was causing the big issue. There was snow on the rim of the tire.
This little imbalance created a huge disturbance. The small amount of snow caused a 3,000-pound vehicle to shake, rattle, and almost roll.
The Little Things
I’d say the amount of snow that was on the inside of my rim was no more than a couple of ounces. Yet, this small amount of snow caused me so much trouble. It caused me to fear that my car was falling apart.
It’s like this in life as well. The little things can create the most noise and bigger problems. This is why you have to be willing to notice the little things and take action when you see them piling up.
Had I left the little bit of snow on the rim of my tire, bigger issues could have presented themselves. The unbalanced wheel could have:
- Worn out my tires more quickly than normal
- Cost me money to replace them
- Become a flat or, worse, blown out on me
- Gotten me into an accident
Taking care of the caked on snow removed the issue I was facing. It also helped prevent any future problems related to the small issue.
What are the small issues in your life that are causing you minor, or major, irritations? What do you need to do to take care of these problems before a larger issue rears its ugly head?
You need to be on the lookout for what looks like small things or problems. These will sooner or later expose themselves as big issues. The good news is you can fix them before they become life-altering issues.
Questions: Do you have a small issue in your life that you need to work on? What’s stopping you from cleaning up the problem and smoothing out the rough ride of life? Let’s talk about this in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.