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Broken Car

Baek Hyeon-mi from Iksan, Korea

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Pett paf pett paf pett paf . . .

With a clamorous rumble, the yellow check engine light came on when I was about to enter the highway, passing the toll gate.

‘Why today?’

It was the last day of the holiday season and there were no garages open on Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know what to do.

My car didn’t become odd when I entered the highway. The check engine light had come on and off repeatedly all the day, but the engine started and I could drive with no problem, so I drove here and there to do some work. I didn’t think anything serious would happen.

Late in the evening, I started out to go back home. It was about 250 km [155 miles]-drive from Seoul to my place. I was concerned that my car might break down in the middle of the highway, but if I was going to fix it, I had to stop overnight in a place where I knew no one. I made up my mind to manage to go home and drove carefully. But the check engine light came on quicker than expected.

This time, it was serious. The car made a loud noise and the check engine light was on for a long time. I wanted to stop the car right away but I couldn’t as I was in the highway.

After midnight, 20 km [12 miles] away from the destination, the car must’ve exceeded its limit; though I stepped on the gas pedal, it didn’t speed up but spluttered louder. To make things worse, it rained.

I turned on the emergency light and drove slowly. Then a big truck passed by me at a fast speed. A cold sweat trickled down my back.

I remembered that there had been signs telling me there was something wrong with my car for a long time: When I returned home after visiting my hometown during the national holiday, I noticed a subtle shaking of the car and it didn’t speed up well enough. It consumed more fuel than usual. Nevertheless, I didn’t think much of it because nothing looked serious outwardly.

‘Aw, I should’ve tuned up my car in advance! Why did I take it lightly before going on a long trip?’

It was too late to regret. At last, I pulled over onto the shoulder and waited for a wrecker.

After a moment, the highway patrol appeared. They said it’s very dangerous to park there when it rains, and advised me that I should move my car to the toll gate for safety’s sake even though I had to go at a slow speed. They reassured me, saying they would follow me. Escorted by the highway patrol, I barely arrived at the toll gate. I lost strength in my legs and felt totally drained.

Fortunately, it turned out that the car didn’t have a big problem. Just one part of the engine, which didn’t work properly, caused all the trouble.

Worrying about my car, I learned a great lesson. I ran into a big trouble while postponing a car checkup without paying attention to early warning signs. The same situation can happen on the way to heaven. If I ignore warning signs about my spirit, I will meet with an irretrievable, tragic end.

Moreover, just as a little part made driving impossible, if I don’t get every part of my faith ready, I may fail to reach heaven, the destination of my faith, and meet with such a great misfortune on the way.

I should check my faith frequently, and if there is something wrong, I should fix it immediately so that I can run toward the kingdom of heaven like a well-maintained car. I give thanks to God who must’ve been with me in every dangerous moment caused by my unpreparedness.