🔧 When the Engine Falls Silent: A Lesson in Faith

2026-07-02

🔧 A Lesson in Faith

There are days when life feels as though it is testing every ounce of strength you have left.

Yesterday was one of those days.

Our work bakkie had just returned from the mechanic after repairs to an engine oil leak. Before that, the gearbox had been serviced, the prop shaft repaired, and the rear suspension attended to. Those repairs appeared successful, and the vehicle drove well.

Then everything changed.

🚚 The Journey

From the moment I drove the bakkie out of the yard, something felt wrong.

🔑 It sounded sluggish.

🔑 The engine made noises that reminded me of tappets.

🔑 The oil leak appeared to still be there.

As the day progressed and the loads became heavier, the loss of power became more noticeable.

Eventually, while stopped at a weighbridge, a security guard called out to me:

“Uncle, your engine is smoking.”

I climbed out and saw bluish smoke coming from the engine.

At that moment I immediately informed my employer. There was no point pretending nothing was wrong.

The instruction was simple:

➡️ Finish the delivery.

➡️ Park the vehicle.

➡️ Let the mechanic inspect it.

That is exactly what I did.

⚠️ The Next Day

The mechanic arrived later than expected.

Then came the news nobody wanted to hear.

The Ranger would not start.

At the time of writing, I still do not know whether the engine is seized, whether it has suffered catastrophic internal damage, or whether something else has failed.

Only a proper inspection will reveal the truth.

But it certainly doesn’t sound encouraging.

😔 When Problems Come in Waves

This incident is only one chapter in what has already been an incredibly difficult season.

It feels as though challenge after challenge has arrived without giving us time to recover.

It began months ago with electrical problems surrounding the prepaid meter installation and the removal of the earth leakage protection. The financial consequences of those events lingered long afterwards.

Then came the heartbreaking loss of Julian’s mother.

Financial pressures increased.

Unexpected expenses piled up.

Now, the work vehicle itself may have suffered a major mechanical failure.

There are moments when it feels as though every direction you turn presents another obstacle.

✝️ Standing on Faith

If I am honest…

Standing on faith is easier to preach than to practice.

When one problem follows another, doubt quietly whispers that perhaps things will never improve.

Yet Scripture continually reminds us that our circumstances do not define God’s faithfulness.

Sometimes faith is simply taking the next step when we cannot yet see the road ahead.

Today, I do not know what tomorrow holds.

I may need to look for additional ways to earn an income.

I may need to depend more heavily on writing, publishing, Linux education, graphics, and the PlebWare project than ever before.

Perhaps this difficult season is also a season of preparation.

🔥 Refusing to Give Up

I have survived difficult seasons before.

I have survived illness.

I have survived financial hardship.

I have survived disappointments that once seemed impossible.

This may simply be another chapter in that story.

The engine may be silent.

But hope does not have to be.

📖 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

— Proverbs 3:5–6

Whatever tomorrow brings…

I will continue moving forward.

One step.

One prayer.

One day at a time.

Until God opens the next door.

🗡️ God’s Journalist in conjunction with ChatGPT and the Holy Spirit