Routine Maintenance
Over the past few months, when we’d leave through the garage, we started noticing our garage door resisting closure. It would get about halfway down and stop moving. My husband adjusted the tension, and we checked the sensors to ensure nothing was blocking them. On warmer days, it didn’t seem to have as much trouble, but on colder days, it was hit or miss.
It was the kind of thing that feels annoying; you are rushing out the door and don’t have a lot of time to figure out the problem right that minute, but then by the time you get back home, it’s working fine, and you forget about it and move on.
A few weeks ago, it got worse. Every time we’d leave, we’d have to push the button three times before it would finally close all the way. A few days before we were expecting snow, I reached out to a company that had worked on our garage door before, and they sent someone out to see what the problem could be.
The technician arrived, and thankfully, we were able to replicate the issue. He examined the door and the door opener and said he didn’t see any obvious problems. He proceeded to spend about 30 minutes oiling all the hinges, tightening bolts that had loosened from daily use, and checking that the track was secure.
When he was finished, he let me know everything should be working fine now; the door had needed some routine maintenance. He showed me where one bolt had been missing, so the arm that helps open and close the door was shaking way more than it should have been, and he felt that was creating undue stress on the door, making it hard to close.
Since that tune-up, the door has been working consistently. It opens and closes at the push of a button, and it is so much quieter.
We’ve had to do repairs to our garage door before, big things like having new springs installed or replacing the garage door opener, but I never considered the little things, like tightening bolts or oiling the hinges. I guess I just assumed those things would always work.
Every time I open the garage door now, I notice how quiet it is and how smoothly it seems to be moving. The door had been gradually getting louder over time, but each volume change was small, and we just tuned it out until we couldn’t ignore it anymore.
It’s made me think about how we do this in our walk with Jesus, too. Little things change, they seem small and insignificant, and yet over time we might find we feel a little disconnected or out of sorts, and we aren’t sure why.
Just this past week, I realized that I’d gotten in the habit of reading the Bible through the app on my phone. I love being able to open several translations to compare passages, but I picked up my physical Bible this week and started using it for a Bible study I’m working through, and thought OH! I miss holding my Bible. I miss seeing all the notes in the margins and the highlights from past readings. I miss turning the physical pages and the weight of the book in my hands.
Obviously, one form of the Bible isn’t better than another, but for me, I realized I’d been feeling a little disconnected from my Bible, and picking up my physical copy was reorienting for me.
Are there any loose bolts or squeaky hinges that need your attention? Are there small shifts that might invite more quiet, more peace, more joy into your days?
I wonder, what is the Holy Spirit inviting you to notice this week?
~ Melissa