“Call me when you can,” a text usually reserved for serious communications when I am at work came across my phone a few months ago. I wasn’t busy at that moment, so I called Tom.
“Is everything ok?” I asked. Tom replied, “Everything’s ok. But these kids! THESE kids! THESE KiDS!!!!” Tom sounded shaky and excited in a bad way. “Who?” I asked. To keep it anonymous and protect this kid’s identity, let’s just call him Z. And this is the story that came pouring from Tom.
Z had gone on a road trip for his Fall break. He drove to Texas! Through Dallas!! Made it just fine. Being a good Dad, Tom had looked at Z’s bank account and although Z had a good amount, Dad added a little bit. Tom looked at it again the next day, you know, just keeping tabs…and noticed a significant amount of money – $200 – had been paid to a “Wheels for Less” place. Fearing Z had had his card stolen, Tom called Z.
“I see a charge for $200 for a wheel? Was that you? Are you ok?” Tom asked.
“Oh yes that was me!” Z admitted.
“Um, well, what happened?”
Z had hit a curb going at a decent rate of speed. It had bent his wheel. Z went to the Subaru dealership and they said it would be $600 to replace. So Z went to some-as Tom described it-“janky” wheels for less place and paid $200 to get a, shall
we just say, less than desirable wheel.
But then Tom just started repeating the same thing over and over. “Why didn’t he call me? Why wouldn’t he have asked me? Why didn’t he just call? I have a WARRANTY on his wheels!! It would have been FREE! Why didn’t he call me? Why didn’t he come to me? Why didn’t he…”
I tried to calm Tom down. I told him Z was probably embarrassed. He wanted to take care of the problem he had created. As I hung up I could still hear Tom muttering, “but why?…”.
And so the lesson comes.
Our good good Father mumbles the same thing. “Why don’t they come to me? Why don’t they call on me? Why don’t they ask me? I have a plan that is 100% guaranteed. They are under my warranty and it has been paid in full. Why don’t they just call me?”
Well, it’s because we’re down here thinking we can figure it out. We can be good enough. Or do enough good. Maybe we feel guilty and embarrassed of what we’ve gotten ourselves into and we think we need to fix it, at least fix it a little, before we make that call for help.
Zack, I mean Z, is a good kid. If you want to be good in Calculus or Chemistry then follow his lead, but don’t be like Z when your wheels of life get bent! Just call the Father. He’s already worked it out!