A Mortifying Meltdown!

I recently had a meltdown! No, not exactly the kind you are imagining. This one was a literal melting down of a part on the engine of my new riding lawn mower. In late fall, the mower had unexpectedly been delivered about a month before promised. I was so excited to get on it and take it on a trial spin around the yard. I had only intended to mow and mulch leaves around the grass area adjacent to the circle driveway. I knew that our teenage grandson would enjoy using the new machine during the next official mow.

Oops! I Forgot!!

The backstory to this “meltdown” is that on the day the mower was delivered by the implement dealer, I thought I would compare the air filter on this new engine with the one that I used on my previous mower. These engines were similar, and I had a couple of expensive filters left over that I hoped I could use on the new rider’s engine. The issue occurred when I failed to secure the filter’s plastic cover.

On the next day’s trial run, I had only been mowing for a few minutes when I saw heavy bluish smoke boiling out from under the hood of my beautiful John Deere! I was mortified and thought, “I’ve only had this less than twenty-four hours and I’ve already blown the engine!” After stopping and raising the hood, I saw the problem! My mechanic Dad used to call this, “A loose nut behind the wheel!” 😊

There it was… a perfectly clean and pure white air filter… totally exposed! The unbolted filter cover had slid forward and was smoldering on the large and extremely hot exhaust muffler! I immediately put a call in to the dealer’s part’s department and confessed that my curiosity and carelessness had gotten the best of me again! The worst part? This was a “meltdown” that I would have to explain to Monique!

I have been using the term “meltdown” in a non-clinical way, but there may be some applications from my experience that come close to a clinical condition. Clinicians have described a true meltdown as “when someone is in a state of anxiety or flooded with sensory input” that may trigger a “fight, flight, or freeze response from the body.” I do confess that I was stunned by this foolhardy incident and wanted to run away!

There are many examples of the metaphoric meltdown in Scripture. Elijah, in his despair and depression, tried to run away from it all. He learned the lesson that you can run, but you cannot hide…from Almighty God! Addressing Elijah’s self-pity, God spoke in “a gentle whisper” to His prophet, “What are you doing here?” Then, the Lord redirected Elijah and renewed the prophet’s calling. (1 Kings 19).

Jonah had an angry and bitter meltdown. This runaway prophet declared, “I am angry enough to die!” (Jonah 4:9). God redirected him and made clear that He was concerned about the lostness of Nineveh even if Jonah was not. Job had a suffering and sorrowing meltdown that resulted in God taking him to the proverbial “woodshed” of discipline. Job would later confess, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand… therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6).

There is often a remedial outcome that follows many of our meltdowns. The Scriptures remind us that God hears our crying laments. “Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” (Psalm 4:1). God answers our prayers. “In my distress I called to the Lord; from His Temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears.” (Psalm 18:6). God comforts us. “Praise be to… the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4),

God uses our troubles in His refining work to bring us to mature faith. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. Let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4, NLT).

If you find yourself in a meltdown, go ahead and grieve and express your emotions. More importantly, God is ready to hear, answer, and comfort you. When you cry out to Him for help, you’ll find healing, renewal, and redirection in His loving response.

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
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