Two nights ago, I woke up at 3:40 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. Unfortunately, this happens a lot for me. I wake up anxious, worried, or afraid, and I can’t go back to bed. This time, I woke up and couldn’t help but think of this coming Friday. 

For each Friday in the last five months, I’ve been working on a difficult project outside my skillset. Over the course of the project, I’ve been electrocuted, bitten by a dog, asked to hold a sparking wire inches from overflowing gasoline, kicked in the head, and even ran over. But, for all that, I don’t  wake up bothered at all. Thinking of these Fridays, I’m not anxious, worried, or afraid. 

My wife Kayla always notices when I’m not sleeping well. The next morning, she asked what was going on.  As before, I was a little embarrassed when to admit it out loud to her. “Were you worried about something? Did you feel sick?” She was concerned until I answered…“It’s my truck, I said. “I’m just so excited to work on it.” 

I couldn’t go back to sleep because I was thrilled for Friday. As challenging, somewhat dangerous, and uncomfortable they have been during the project, that’s not at all how I would describe them. The word I would use is delightful. 

So, I’ll admit it to you as well – I love my truck. In 1980, Toyota blessed the world with what has to be one of the most fun little 4x4’s ever made. Normally, someone who daily drives a 40-year-old vehicle, and loves said vehicle, would also be very handy with cars. I am not. And if you ever heard it run in our church parking lot, you might have noticed it has been hanging on by a thread for some time. 

Enter John Crecelius. He is hands down the most genuinely nice, enjoyable, automotive ninja I’ve ever met. John has worked hard with me to fix it up over the past several months. During that time, we’ve had tons of conversations about all kinds of stuff, shared meals, hunted for parts, made mistakes, found problems we didn’t know were even present, and just this week, we got my truck purring like a kitten. (At least I think that’s what car people say about engines that are amazing.)

The simple answer to why I wake up in the middle of the night with such excitement would be my truck. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there’s a lot more going on than that. Yes, I love working on my truck. But, what makes the entire task a delight is doing it with John. He’s patient with someone who knows nothing. He challenges me to go after things I would definitely shy away from on my own. 

And, knowing he’s there with me means I have nothing to worry about. I can make mistakes. I can suggest dumb things. I don’t need to understand everything. He’s got it. His ability to address my truck’s issues is uncanny. Knowing he’s there means that my truck will end up being more awesome than I ever imagined was even possible.  

If restoring my truck was my responsibility, and needed to be accomplished through my resources, it would never happen. I wouldn’t even try. If I did attempt to do it on my own, I would be up at 3:40 every night— anxious, worried, or afraid. 

Yet, when I turn my truck over to John, a task I could never do becomes an absolute joy. I end up learning tons of stuff. I laugh much more. I worry much less. Actually, it’s hard for me to worry about the truck. We encounter something we didn’t expect and I literally say, “Good luck with that John!” and we just laugh. Because we both know, he will figure it out. Whatever it is.  

I can’t help but think: what if I spent all my days with the Holy Spirit, just like I spend Fridays with John? If John can handle anything an old truck might throw at him, I’ll guarantee that the Holy Spirit can handle anything life might throw at me. What if I encountered a problem and had the audacity to turn to Jesus and say, “Good luck with that Lord!” With full confidence that He’ll address it. I may not understand how, but I know He will. He knows He will. And the two of us can just smile at one another about it. 

For good reason, at Christ Church, we talk a lot about the Holy Spirit. Trying to explain Him to someone who is unfamiliar with God can be difficult. But, even as a pastor, understanding the Holy Spirit can be difficult at times! This past week, and every Friday for that matter, I’ve been given a great example of how the Holy Spirit works. Now, I’m asking the Lord to give me just as much faith in Him, as I have in John. Then, I imagine yet another kind of excitement would start waking me up at night!