Every so often, a piece of information comes along, changing everything.
A casual conversation with Travis, a local service representative for Harley Davidson, about a service alert triggered a clarification email. I took the new information he had sent with me as I examined the acorn nut that was the subject of the alert. The pictures were from a different model. I found it was easy to translate to the Springer.
My first examination was visual. The part was chromed, visually tight. It took a couple of trips, but I found the right wrench for a true check. Everything was as it should be. I normally would have moved on, yet I found myself looking at the Springer’s front brake and suspension in a different light. The acorn nut was small but crucial element in holding everything together! If it failed, no matter how unlikely, I would be crash.
The potential crash would not be pretty. Losing one’s brakes as well as the front tire on a motorcycle is never a good thing. I cannot even imagine how I would respond, no matter how fast or slow I was going.
Everything is the same and yet it is different. New information can do this. I know I should not take this piece of information out of context. However, my new awareness does put things in perspective.
In an old story, those inside the law treated Paul and Silas outside the law. They should have known better. There were questions that should have been asked but were not. When new information came to light, “the officers reported this, the judges panicked. They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.” (Acts 16.38) Everything changed with the new information that really was not new.
You and I walk though lives with critical information that may be outside of our vision. Do I know how compassion can play out in life? Do I fully see my relationship with my community? Am I willing to think critically? The answers change my vision. New sights are waiting.
