Progress

May 16, 2020

Time was, when if the motor I was working on went as did today’s project, I would be slinging wrenches across the garage. Thankfully, I’ve developed more patience than mechanical skill since those early years. I had the carburetor apart probably a dozen times, trying to get the float adjusted, all to no avail. The motor ran just fine, but when I shut it down, the float needle apparently refused to seal, allowing gasoline to flood the carb and pour out the overflow. No amount of adjustment made any difference. 

I spent about five hours working on it, and am no further along than when I started except for one thing: I didn’t throw any wrenches, which means that at least I’m further along than I was forty years ago. And as a plus, I didn’t have to go searching for errant wrenches. Which was good, because I was working outside. It would have been a real bugger to look for them in the grass, and even worse if the only way I could find them was with the mower. 

I learned a long time ago not to pray for patience, because it is only learned through trouble (Romans 5:3–“tribulation worketh patience”). I’ve not had the terribly troublesome life that some have had, but I’ve apparently experienced enough to have learned to keep my wrenches firmly in hand. It may have taken a long time, but it’s still spiritual progress, for which I am thankful tonight.