Effluvia From the Chaotic Mind of Sagaverus

The FIXER

It is my lot in life to be a fixer.

I began my avocation around the age of six when I disassembled a wind-up alarm clock (which worked fine before I took it apart), to see how it worked, in case in future I ever needed to fix one. Though it took a while, being a highly dexterous little boy, I was able to get all the parts out of the clock.

Unfortunately, it would be years later that I understood the physics of kinetic energy stored in a spring, and the alternating cam or ratchet function which released the energy in measured doses.

Undeterred, I continued on the path of fixing things.

In the ensuing years I fixed many things, among them: a lawnmower, a staircase, leaks, electrical faults, and so on. By nature, a fixer is oblivious to the fact that some things should be left alone and not fixed. This is especially true regarding the lives of other people. Almost everyone I met seemed to need fixin' in one way or another.

I began my college studies in Psych 101 with Dr Loh Seng Chai, who fixed me good one day, but that is another story and the fix did not last.

After one year I dropped out of college to marry my beloved and begin a career of various sorts to provide for my wife and children. (There really was no point in my using up a good seat at the university when I already knew practically everything worth knowing.) True to my avocation, I continued trying to fix things, and people.

I spent a lot of years fixing my children so they could grow up and be able to fix their own lives and those of others. You'll have to consult them to discover the results. I devoted a great deal of time, mental energy, emotional capital, and words trying to fix my wife.

Unhappily, she did not need fixin' the way I thought she did.
Like the alarm clock, I took our marriage apart then could not reassemble it.

But, I was not in the least discouraged.

I tried to fix the companies who employed me, the personnel who served under me, and any person I encountered, any time and anywhere, who seemed in need of fixin'. Friends, family, strangers ... it made no difference. I was sure I could fix them. You likely won't be surprised that a majority of the intended fixees did not appreciate my ministrations and attempts to fix their lives.

It wasn't until I was on the brink of breaking my second marriage, and my wife's vociferous pleas that I stop trying to fix her, that it dawned on me ... maybe I needed fixin'. I finally learned to ask, "Would you like me to help you fix that?" (whatever that happened to be).

Most times it was "No thanks", or "I can fix it myself" and such like.

Being a saved believer, I often have conversations with the Lord. In one of these, He said to me, "Son. You need fixin'. I'll do my best, but you are a hard case. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Then, when somebody really does need fixin', IF they turn to you, you will be empowered to help. Otherwise, let them be and I will take care of their problems. You got that?"

I said, "Yes Lord. Thank you for removing this burden from my shoulders. You go right ahead and fix the world Yourself. I'll get out of Your way."

He said, "Attaboy."

And there you have it.

I am out of the fixin' business.

You probably have things in your life that need to be fixed. You can try dealing with it yourself, or get expert help from the One who really can help you. You got that?

Sagaverus April 2011