This is a true story, told to me by Ivan Stewart. He begins, he is lying
under a race truck, trying to fix something. You can hear the grunting and the
groaning, and then he asks for a wrench. “What size?” the man helping him
asks. “Make it a big one, I’m gonna use it for a hammer...” Years ago when
living in New Mexico I had friends who worked in the oil fields. Where things
were fixed as needed sometimes, and when far away from any shop, you did what
was needed. “Don’t force it, get a bigger hammer,” was a popular saying,
somewhere between joke and reality. Years later when working with fasteners at
a racing level, our chief engineer laughed when I told him that. And added,
“don’t force it, get a bigger lever.” Which was soon translated to “get a
bigger screwdriver,” which in many shops still today is used as a pry bar. If
you ever wondered why techs have so many large screwdrivers, and nothing on your
car would it fit, add that to your trivia list. Might even help you win on
Jeopardy. Answer-“don’t force it.” Question-“get a bigger screwdriver.” How
many PhD.’s would know that one?
BMW motorcycles over the years used to have extensive tool
kits. Unlike their Japanese cousins, with two piece pliers, and wrenches made
of some type of soft metal, these were real tools, and included various sized
wrenches, tire irons, a real screwdriver that wouldn’t twist in the handle, and
even came in a tool pouch. When riding through Boulder Canyon one afternoon, we
came upon an old BSA leaning against the canyon wall. The rider, hippie
looking, this was back in the 70’s, waved us over, and was excited. “Wow, a
BMW, those have great tool kits, can I borrow some tools?” Now being a biker, I
was ready to help, but a quick glance at the vice grips welded to his shift
shaft, quickly changed my mind. “Sorry, these tools wouldn’t fit your bike,”
and he nodded, and we parted. If you ever lost a good pair of vice grips, have
you ever looked on an old Brit bike? Which brings up the subject of fastener
sizes in relation to tools used. In the US of A we have standard SAE sizes,
1/4,5/16,3/8, etc. Metric is 6,8,10, etc mm. Then there are the British, who
used to use Whitworth, which no one to this day has been able to explain to me.
Where an SAE 5/16, may be a 3/8 whitworth. Or is it 1/4? And just to confuse
things further by simplifying them, back in the 80’s the US of A decided to go
on the metric system, like much of the world. Even England had switched to
metric at this point, don’t ask. Once GM, being the powerhouse it once was,
decided to rename their fasteners rather than change them to metric sizes. So
for example, 1/4 became 6.3 mm, just to further confuse the system. And on
their cars today you can find both standard SAE, metric, and GM metric. Now you
know why techs have tool boxes the size of your first apartment. Which can be
so easily remedied by just using one wrench, the adjustable, or Crescent
wrench. Which when a kindly old rider the other day asked about the fasteners
on my new Triumph, and told they were metric smiled. And when I told him
jokingly, “ you’ll have to replace your adjustable wrench with a metric one”
didn’t get it at first. Then smiled, knowing he had been caught. I wonder if
he knew they come in whitworth too? Don’t force it, get a bigger hammer.
Which brings up the question, which came first, the bolt or the
tool? Why would you need a tool if there was no bolt to tighten, and how would
tighten a bolt without the tool? Ask your service advisor, or tool man. Just
for a laugh. But more seriously, for years I have heard discussed which cam
first, the chicken or the egg? Chickens come from eggs, but eggs come from
chickens. Are we chasing our tails again in search of an answer that doesn’t
exist? But the answer is evident, in fact it is found in Genesis. God created
the animals, He let Adam name them, and then they multiplied. Try that one on
your biology teacher, who if steeped in evolution theory, is chasing his tail,
which he believes at one time his ancestors may have had. So much for the
theory of evolution, which is just that, a theory, and no missing link, or signs
of evolution have ever been found, except in the continued story of V-twins, and
Harley Davidson. But there is a law, a law of science and physics, that
disputes evolution, and proves it only a theory, and a poor one at that. The
second law of thermodynamics states that things are in a constant state of
atrophy, they are constantly wearing down, out, getting old, and needing to be
replaced. Going from order to disorder. Need evidence? Which better explains
why as we get older, we wear out, and finally die. Except if you are Benjamin
Button, or belong to the pool club in Cocoon. We are all wearing out, we don’t
get better as we age, and soon we will face death. But again God, remember His
“in the beginning...” history, was there before it all began. And spoke it all
into being, out of nothing, so much for the big bang folks. Think, something
would have had to banged, and who created it? Again, the Bible takes us places
in truth that only others can theorize. Which are really opinions, do you
really need another opinion when all you really need is truth?
And for you New Testament only fans, Jesus is mentioned in the
first verse, the fourth word of Genesis, “in the beginning, GOD, created the
heavens and the earth...” Elohim, is plural for God. Not many gods, but one
God, in many forms. Which leads us to the trinity, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, another time to get into that. But God was there, is here now, and will
be here forever. Better to follow the truth, than believe a lie.
And so it is with tools. The right tool in the wrong hands
won’t work. A wrench can become a hammer, and a screwdriver a pry bar. But
neither one will do the job it was intended to do if the hand holding it doesn’t
use it properly. Good enough for government work isn’t good enough, and
believing in God won’t cut it. You must believe God, and trust Him with all
your heart. Other wise you might just as well be descended from monkeys, who by
the way can be trained to use the right tool. So it all comes down to Jesus,
the right tool, for the right job, the right place, at the right time. His
answer fits the situation exactly, without apologies to whitworth. He can’t be
forced, and doesn’t force you. Love will not demand its own way. The choice is
up to you. What is in your tool box? If it is tools that don’t fit the job,
replace them with ones that will. Seek God, for you never know when you may be
under a car, needing a wrench, and someone hands you a hammer instead. Will
that be ball peen, finishing, or sledge? Again...the right hammer. Or as we
prefer to call them, fine adjusting tools. Stick with Jesus...His tools always
fit, guaranteed for life. No opinions, just he facts. Now about that
hammer...metric, standard, or whitworth?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com