There was once a commercial on broadcast television. Let me translate for whatever gen you younger people call yourselves. You know those brief, annoying videos that interrupt the free content streaming on your smart device, because you are too cheap to upgrade to the premium service? Anyhoo, this ad featured a grease stained mechanic (seen above) lamenting the consequences of neglecting to use Fram oil filters. Allow me a couple of observations, if you will. First, the mechanic is tearing apart the bottom of an engine in the parking lot of his shop from under the car. I’m assuming he had a proper lift in his shop, because it was the 20th century. Second, his contention that the only way to prevent major, and costly, engine repairs in the future was to exclusively use FRAM® oil filters. Mind you, he even admitted that the guy had his oil changed, albeit with another filter. Methinks the other manufacturers of oil filters would beg to differ. STP, after all, was, and maybe still is, the racer’s edge. But do you know what happened? Fram’s sales increased by 67 percent. I made that last part up, but it could’ve happened. The mechanic’s point was this: A little money here will save you a lot of money there. “Pay me now, or pay me later.” The pre-TV version was “a stitch in time saves nine”.
Between my neighbor’s house and mine was once a weed-tree thing. Sorry for using scientific botanical terms; I can’t help myself. I say weed because that’s how it looked at first. Sooner than I would’ve guessed, it grew into a tree. A small one, but a tree nonetheless. And it continued to grow, into what us arborists call a “legit tree”. It was mostly in my neighbor’s yard, so whatever. Fast forward a few years, no fence and new neighbors, this was no longer something I could easily remedy myself. And it had to be done, because it was creating problems. After calling a tree guy and getting a good estimate, I had him come out and cut the tree down. Had I uprooted the weed-tree thing when it was still a weedling-sappling, I could’ve saved myself some effort and a few bucks.
Like many of you, I have been known to procrastinate. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Aside from dying, I can’t think of too many occasions when delaying helps, particularly if it is something that needs to be done eventually anyway. That said, there are some exceptions. Who bought a first generation flat screen TV when it first hit the stores? You were the envy of all your friends, the avocado toast of the town, if you will. Never mind the price tag, well into the 4 figures for a screen larger than every television your parents and grandparents owned put together. Now you can buy a nice 55″ set at Costco for the price of an early VCR. That’s Videocassette Recorder. Never mind.
Is there something in your life that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later? A figurative weedling-sappling that is hindering you in your spiritual walk?
(Click “Stand on Firmer Ground” for a deeper look into Fram Oil Filters)