A few weeks ago, I was tuning my snow blower in preparation for the winter months. I changed the oil and air filter. Yet when it came time to lubricate the auger I couldn’t find the WD-40. WD-40 has been my faithful companion when it comes to fixing things that squeak and stick.

     So, I went to the local hardware store to buy a can. I found the last blue can on the shelf. As I waited in line to pay for the item, I began to wonder what the WD in WD-40 stands for. I had read awhile back that a mechanic out west concluded the WD stands for Water Displacement and, the 40 is the number of trials that were run before the manufacturers discovered the right formula.

     The explanation sounded pretty reasonable to me. However, the reality is the explanation is wrong. The name, WD-40, simply came out of the lab book used by its inventor, Norm Larsen, back in 1953.

     Well, now I know the truth. Yet, I’m still intrigued by the thought that it may have taken thirty-nine attempts before right mixture was found. “Why,” you ask? Because I often find myself making thirty-nine mistakes before I get it right just once.

     My wife characterizes my approach as plain mule headedness (a description you won’t find in Webster’s.) The New Testament though calls such an attitude perseverance. Either way, the Bible applauds the effort. James 1:12 states that “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial…”.

        Just like the fictitious attempts at perfecting the formula for WD-40, each of us

        will make mistakes. We  will make poor decisions. We will follow fruitless pursuits.

        We will become distracted by lesser interests. Or we may get knocked down by

        a great challenge.

     Yet, for the Christian, defeat is not an option. Sure, there will be times when you may feel disappointed or even discouraged. But quitting is not a luxury anyone can afford.

     A few days prior to his death, former college basketball coach, Jimmy Valvano, gave a speech  during the ESPY award ceremony that lives on in the hearts of many people today. As his body and brain were filled with cancerous tumors, Jimmy defiantly declared:

      “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind,

       it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.”