How's Your Engine Running

I heard this song recently on my Pandora Station:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoA4nYBD5U

The line that stands out is, "how's your engine running", and it sparked some thought in me that I'd like to share. Whenever my brother and I used to come home from college, or even after we were married and returned home after being away for awhile, my dad would often meet us in the driveway and ask, "how's your car running". We felt like maybe that was dad's way of starting up a conversation, and having something reliable to go to as we eased back into the comfort of regular conversation and interaction.

When I heard that line, "how's your engine running", because of that image of my dad asking that question so frequently, and because of my current journey, it really stood out to me. It made me wonder: as friends, Christians, husbands, fathers, if we should be asking that question of each other more.

"How's Your Engine Running?"

One of the things I think I've known for a while, but that I'm really coming into now, is that we can't go on this journey alone. There is too much for us to question, too much room for self doubt, and we are too imperfect to get it all right. Because of that, I think we need people in our lives who are willing to ask us, "How's your engine running?"

In other words, what is going on inside, what is challenging you right now, what are your pursuing, how are you growing?

For those people that we say we love and care about, we need to be invested enough to ask them the same.

Here's why I think this is really important:
The reality is, that we have all gotten very good at putting our heads down and moving through life. When work stinks, or the kids are driving us crazy, or we know that we have questions about life but aren't even really sure what they are, when we want more from life but we are embarrassed to admit it or unsure what that means, when all those things are happening, we are usually able to put on a happy face and keep on trucking. All the while, we have these things stirring inside of us that we are trying to figure out. We have doubts that we need to overcome, we have things we are curious about, we need some encouragement, we need to be around friends.

Despite the waxed exterior, and the spotless interior, "How's the engine really running?"

I used to think it was complaining to talk about "petty" issues that I was dealing with. But now I know that it is okay to be honest about what we are going through. It doesn't make us complainers to point out things we are questioning, or frustrations we are facing. It just makes us honest. How we DEAL with those issues may determine or display our character, but the acknowledgement of challenge doesn't make us weak.

I hope you have someone in your life who cares enough about you to ask you how your engine is running. And I would encourage you, either way, to love someone enough to do the same for them.

How Is Your Engine Running?

Much Love,
Bryan