Solution and Success

By: Gary Brown

Proverbs 16:21

The wise man is esteemed for his discernment, yet pleasing speech increases his persuasiveness.

We were excited as always to join our good friends Rob and Tracey at their cabin located in the small town of Pinetop-Lakeside. Friday evening, the four of us piled into our Jeep and headed out for dinner. Fifty yards later the smell of gasoline permeated our vehicle and back to the cabin we headed.

The next morning Rob and I drove to a local repair shop. An employee said they were so backed up it might take one week to even diagnose the problem. Our home is about two hours away, so that option seemed unacceptable. We were told about another repair shop in town and left.

As we approached the second repair shop, I was immediately discouraged and expressed my dismay to Rob. This shop looked like a dive. There were no other cars under repair - not a good sign. The first shop was backed up with a week’s worth of work and this place sat empty. To make matters worse, the two repair guys standing inside the empty bays had a certain appearance that left me disheartened. I was hesitant, to say the least.

While I was diagnosing all the things wrong with our predicament, Rob was seeing the situation differently. He entered it with a “solution and success” mindset. He made light conversation with the two employees.  They quickly waved me forward and I drove the Jeep into bay number one.

Soon the vehicle was airborne and they were detectives underneath in search of the mysterious leak. All the while Rob was engaging both men in genuine, friendly conversation - where are you from, how is life in a rural town, how is business, are you married, kids, things to do in town, etc. They were extremely receptive to Rob’s easygoing conversation and soon we were like four old friends hanging out, laughing and having a good time.

The problem was discovered. A small gas hose had snaked loose. It simply needed to be reattached and a broken clamp replaced. These nice guys whom I had terribly misjudged charged me a mere ten dollars for their time, so I tipped an additional twenty out of guilt.

I had badly misjudged everything and everyone along the way. A lesson perhaps just as important was watching the wisdom with which Rob approached the situation with an expectant attitude for success and solution, not obstacle and defeat.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE: When life throws you a curveball, how do you react? What is your mindset?