We’ve all heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  I would have to agree with that.  But what if we don’t know if it’s broke?  What if we aren’t sure if that noise we hear, the pain we feel, the uncertainty that nags at our conscience, or the errors we think we see are just temporary or even normal?

A while back my clothes dryer was making one horrible sound, even though it still tumbled my clothes dry.  It wasn’t ‘broke’ because it was still doing the job of drying my laundry.  I kept mentioning it to my Mr. Fix-it husband, but he was too busy to look at it.  His clothes were clean and dry, so there was no urgency.  I chose to get a repairman out who put a new part in the dryer, eliminated the noise, and probably saved the life of my dying dryer.

And then there is my back.  Through the years I have swallowed probably hundreds of ibuprofen pain pills for back aches and back pains and ouchy-messed-up back-syndrome.  I am to the point where pain pills don’t help and I can’t sleep on my back and I can’t sleep on my stomach.  If I happen to lie down on the family room floor on my back, I feel like a turtle stuck upside down on its shell when I try to get up.  Sheesh.  Just when I get desperate and tell myself to call the doctor, it starts feeling better and I get busy with other things.  I tried therapy.  I still hurt.  I finally told the doctor to order a CT or MRI so we could see if it was indeed broke.  Of course it wasn’t hurting much on the day of the scan, but I did it anyway.  I need to know if it is something that I can fix.

There are usually warning signs before things break:   The squeaky dryer noise.  My back pains.  Pipes often leak before they burst.  Automobiles have warning lights.  Electronic devices may act up.  So the little warnings should give us time to do some repairs before an actual break.

But do we?

If I don’t have the time… If I don’t have the money…  If I don’t have the energy…  If I don’t have the patience…  If I don’t have the desire…  If I don’t have the resources… If I don’t have the support… If I don’t have the knowledge… If I don’t have… If I don’t… If … If …

If we ignore the warning signs – then things are going to break.

Broken appliances, broken bodies, broken relationships, broken marriages, broken cars, broken … everything.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

If it IS broke …

Fix it.

Just Laurel

Psalm 31:12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Proverbs 25:19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.