When I graduated high school, my dad and I went on a drive. We had no plans but to get as far as we could before he had to come back to work. We went to visit our friends in Sydney, the North Coast of NSW and ended up in Tweed Heads which is on the border of NSW and QLD. We were having a blast water skiing and spending time with friends, that we left a day and a half before my dad had to be back at work.

If everything was going to go OK, we would have made it back fine. Of course, when you are on a schedule, things sometimes tend to break or go against what you are expecting. This was the case for us! We had planned to leave and be back in plenty of time but on the way back, somewhere in NSW, something on the engine broke. There was a component of the fuel system that linked the accelerator with the fuel assembly. The little linkage completely broke so we had no way of making the car go and in the middle of nowhere, not much choice of repair.

My dad, being the car wiz that he is, fashioned up a linkage out of cable ties and we installed it. It managed to last the whole way home (around 1000km) and even lasted a few more days at home until my dad was able to fix it properly. I was amazed at the ingenuity shown by my dad and the fact that it actually worked better than the original was a relief.

I learned a valuable lesson from this event. Had I been by myself, I would have been completely helpless! I am not the car wiz my dad is and would have been calling on RAA to help me get home, probably at a huge expense. My skills lie elsewhere, and I was able to rely on my dad to help get us home. We had a common goal but different skillsets to achieve the goal.

When we rely on others' skills and strengths, we move forward and achieve goals far better than if we are all trying to do the same thing. We all have different skills and gifts and being able to rely and depend on others in times of need is vital to our wellbeing and success. I hope you can lean on others when you are in sticky situations and continue to go forward, achieving the goals you have for your families.

It reminds me of this verse from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.

'Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken'.

Have a great rest of the week with your kids.

Jason Davis