Lessons From A Broken Down Trailer

A couple of years ago, I saw something outrageously funny (true story). I was riding down the highway and just as I approached my exit, I noticed a horse trailer on the right hand side of the road. The closer I got, I noticed that the trailer was stacked up to the top with tires. I mean a lot of tires!!!

Now, can you even guess why this trailer was on the side of the road? Yep – you got it ….. a flat tire!! Now I don’t know about you, but I think that’s absolutely hilarious! I thought to myself, “With all of those tires that were available, why in the world didn’t he change the old tire that was bad?” Here's what I learned about change:

1. Change is necessary unless you want to wreck or be stranded on the side of the road.
2. Change will cost us something every time. It may be time, effort, money, comfort, and even other opportunities. Whoever owned the trailer must have had some reason for procrastinating and not changing that tire. Maybe it was because he was too busy washing his truck. I don’t know, but a nice clean truck still won’t do a good job hauling a trailer with a flat tire.
3. One change isn't enough. Changing one tire is never enough. In reality, new tires will eventually become old tires.
4. We must constantly monitor our need for change. We ought to be looking out for “thinning tires.” A good tire today may not be a good tire tomorrow.
5. Change gets us where we need to go. It keeps us on the road longer, straighter, and safer. Knowing that you have freshly changed tires can even give you a sense of stability. 

So anyway, that’s both funny and ironic but yet it really helped me to understand the need for change. Now …. let’s go check our tires!