Sometimes I get angry. Not window-smashing angry, but just frustrated. I usually get the most upset when I feel like I'm letting other people down: my fiance, boss, coworkers, friends, parents, etc.

For the last four months, I have been responsibly saving money to fix a rattle that my car makes when I drive. I was very proud of my financially savvy plan when I walked into the repair shop yesterday.

I told them that another shop had recommended that I replace my ball joints. So I left the keys and went to work feeling good about getting my car fixed. But the repair shop called 30 minutes later to tell me that it wasn't the ball joints and that I needed to replace some tie rods. Okay, whatever. Do it. $570 (w/ a few other things)? Sure. That's actually a little less than I was budgeting for.

I picked up the car and drove home that night. *Rattle, *rattle. *Rattle. The car made the old familiar sounds I'd grown accustomed to over the summer. "You've got to be kidding," I said to myself.

I brought the car back in today with a sour look on my face. "It didn't work. It's still rattling," I said.

"Let me go for a ride with you to take a listen," the mechanic said.

So I drove him around the parking lot—aiming for potholes and speed bumps for added effect. I chose to wait while they looked at it a second time. I sat in the waiting room imagining how much the new work would cost and admiring the ageless faces of soap opera actors.

They ended up replacing the struts. $450. I literally cringed as I pulled out my credit card to pay for the work. I drove away with a defeated feeling in my heart and went back to work. As I rode home that night, I noticed the rattling was back.

*Rattle, *rattle.

"NO. No, no, no!" I said as I searched for words to describe my frustration. I felt so betrayed. So angry. These people are supposed to know what they are doing. I've spent $1,000 and have nothing to show for it. Now I'm over-budget and I have to drive to North Dakota on Friday. And worst of all, I felt like I let down Allie by being financially irresponsible. UHG!

Experiences like this make me thankful that Jesus was/is perfect.

Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

There are a lot of self-help books out there and people claiming that they have answers. But most of them can't even keep the standards they set in their own books. They're often hypocrites, and people buy their books anyway. But Jesus was different. He was both the author and the perfecter of our faith. Not only did he create life, but he perfected it in his own life while here. He never messed up. No sin at all. He has the right to tell us how to live and what to do. And we can trust him because his word is always right.

I may never find the perfect mechanic, but thankfully I can always trust The Perfecter.