Silencing the Squeal

You might hear this saying at butchering time: “You can use every part of the pig except the squeal.” But recently I found that even the squeal can have a purpose. 

For months our truck had been squealing for attention. It started off as one little piglet’s plaintive serenade, but we somehow thought it would disappear on its own. Over time, however, bigger, louder pigs joined the chorus. And one Saturday their squealing reached a crescendo.

After investigating the matter, my husband determined that the squealing was probably due to a bad bearing, and a couple of parts would therefore need to be replaced. We stopped at the auto-parts store to find out what they would cost. A helpful employee confirmed that replacing those parts would most likely stop the squealing, but … did we really want to spend the money now? I mean, the squealing had been going on for a while already and nothing bad had happened yet. 

We decided to put off buying the parts, so we pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the gas station. My husband filled the tank; the truck was still squealing away when he started it up again. He returned from paying for the gas and a passerby called out, “Is that your truck?” My husband admitted that it was. “Your bearing’s bad; if it seizes, your belt will fly off.” Hmm. That confirmed the bad-bearing theory yet again, and our truck would become inoperable once the belt came off. We knew we did not want that to happen. And since we would have no control over the timing, we headed back to the auto-parts store.

The new parts silenced the squeal, but this story does not end there. What happened made me think of how patient God is, how He cares about even the little details of life. And yet I sometimes worry—especially at three o’clock in the morning. The “what-ifs” start squealing for my attention, and I think about all the things that could go wrong in my life.

One day I reflected on the fact that children do not need to worry about anything, and I wished I could return to that carefree phase of life. I knew my parents would provide for me; I knew they loved me enough to want the best. Then it hit me: But, wait! I am God’s child. He promises to meet my needs; He loves me even more than any earthly parent ever could. And when our truck needed attention, He had taken the time to remind me that He cares about even the little things in life, just as a good parent does. I need to remember that—especially when the “what-ifs” start squealing at three o’clock in the morning.