Duct Tape Cannot Fix Everything!

Oct 26, 2021

“We have a problem I need you to look at,” Tom said as I drove up. He came towards me carrying his bike frame, pointing to a crack on the shaft. “I noticed this just now when I was putting my bike away. I don’t know what to do about this, especially 14 days before the race.”

“Did you Google ‘How bad is it to have a crack in one’s bike frame?’” I asked.

And then I saw it in his hands. SURELY he was joking . . .

“Tom, you CANNOT repair your bike frame with duct tape.”

“If it is good enough for NASCAR, it’s good enough for me.”

Yes, duct tape is strong.

Fun fact for today –

According to “FamilyHandyman.com” the top 6 uses for duct tape are:

  • A drink holder in your car

  • Remove pet hair

  • Trap crickets, spiders, other bugs on the floor

  • Holiday Footwear

  • Clear up nail fungus

  • Treat warts

(Please forgive the use of a site that clearly has implicit gender bias)

A product so strong you can build a kayak out of it or create footwear. That’s crazy!  But I wouldn’t bank on it being SO strong that it can hold a bike frame together when you are cycling 20 – 30 plus mph.

Why is it that we insist on things being stronger than they really are?

Why is it that we expect ourselves to be stronger than we need to be?

While strength and resilience are great . . . we do not have to pretend to possess superhuman strength!

Frankly put – It. Is. Ok. To. Ask. For. Help!!!!!

Which is better?

Being humbly dependent, admitting to needing help, and actually surviving challenges and struggles intact physically, emotionally, and mentally?

Or being proudly independent and risking your own well-being just so you could say “I did it on my own?”

Something to ponder today.

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-7

P. S. The gentlemen at the bike repair shop completely agreed with me. The look of horror on their faces when Tom said, “I was just going to repair it with some duct tape.” It was a wow! Duct tape CANNOT fix everything!