What's Under Your Hood?

We spend thousands maintaining our cars and trucks—but when was the last time we stopped to examine our own lives? In this episode of Second Wind, KR Henderson uses the familiar world of automobiles to ask a deeper question: What's really under your hood? Through stories about a car show, a lesson learned from his mechanic uncle, and a junkyard that sees value where others see loss, KR explores purpose, restoration, and the importance of going back to the One who designed us. This isn't a sermon—it's a conversation every man needs to have with himself. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to Second Wind. I'm K.R. Henderson. You know, every few months there's a big car show not far from where I live. If you've ever driven by one of those shows, you've seen everything. I mean you can see it from the street as you pass by. I mean every kind of car you can imagine: muscle cars, carvettes, uh classic cars, Ferraris, Lambos, even brand new cars. And one day I was driving by and something hit me. No matter what kind of car it was, every single one of them, every single one of them had the hood up. Now think about that. I mean nobody goes to a car show and looks underneath the car, right? That doesn't make sense. They want to see what's under the hood. Right? I mean, people want to know what's powering it. What's been modified, what's been restored, what's original. Because what's under the hood tells you a whole lot more than just a nice paint job really ever would. I mean, think about that. So I got to wondering, I mean, man, when was the last time you lifted up the hood on your own life? Not your truck or your car. You. What's under your hood? That's scary. Now I understand every man has a favorite. I'm a Ford guy. Fix or repair daily, some Chevy, some toy orders, some dogs. Hey, hey, drive whatever you like. But that's not really the point. My question to you is, do you know what's under your hood? Or do you have any idea who built it? Let that sit with you for a moment. So I had an epiphany. If somebody built this thing, wouldn't a builder know, right? How it's how it's designed to work? Wouldn't a builder know what every intricate part is for? I mean, wouldn't a builder know what happens when something breaks and how to fix it. That's when I started thinking about God a little bit differently. I mean, understand the worlds were framed by the word of God. We know that. And if that's true, then God moved from being creator to our manufacturer. And if there really is a creator, wouldn't it make sense that the creator would know how the creation is supposed to work? How he's supposed to operate. I'm talking to men now. I want you to think about your automobile for a minute. Or any. When something goes wrong, you don't ask the tires how to fix the transmission. You don't ask the radio how to repair the engine. You go back to the manufacturer's manual. Why? Because the person that wrote it knows all about it. He knows what fuels belong. Premium, super, regular, what oils belong, right? Ten weight, twenty, thirty. When maintenance would be due, what every warning light on the dash means. Here's what I'm wondering. If we'll trust these auto builders with our automobiles, I mean, why don't we trust Jesus with our lives? That has always fascinated me. Now, you can choose to serve whatever it is that you want, but I have to ask the question. We'll read the owner's manual before we tow a trailer. Right? But we won't spend five minutes asking God why He created us. Five minutes. I know the moment I say that, some of you all are already pushing back. I know. I know. You're thinking, K.R., uh, that's that's where you lose me. Christianity is just a white man's religion. I hear it all the time. But can we talk? Let's talk about that for just a second. Just I'm gonna deviate for just a minute. Have you ever actually read it for yourself? Scripture. Not what somebody told you, mother, grandmother, not what social media says. Lord knows it's a lot of that. Not what your history or your history teacher says. You. Because here's what surprised me. Christianity didn't start in America. You do know that, right? It didn't start in Europe. It started in the Middle East. Jesus was a Jew, not Anglo, long before anybody crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Alright? Now, let's be honest. Has Christianity been abused? Absolutely. There's no point in pretending it hadn't. Slave owners quoted scriptures while completely ignoring what scripture actually was teaching. They twisted God's word to serve their own agenda. We understand, we know that. History proves that. Right? But don't confuse the abuse of something with the origin of something. You know what I'm saying? I mean, hey, counterfeit money, you counterfeit money doesn't prove real money doesn't exist. How about that? It proves somebody corrupted the real thing. That's all. So here's all I'm asking. Before you reject these teachings, his teachings, read what it actually says. Look at how he actually lived, then make a decision. Hey, I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm asking you to investigate the manufacturer's manual for yourself. How about that? Now, let me tell you why I believe that part matters. When I went off to Southern University and spent a couple of years at LSU and the Air Force ROTC, I lived with my uncle in Baton Rouge. My uncle owned a mechanic shop, Gordon Johnson Sr. Every time something went wrong with my car, I would tell him what it was doing. I mean, and he would just smile. I could see that smile on his face. And he'd say, I'm not gonna do it for you. I'll tell you what to do. Nah, I respected that. It frustrated me. But one day, I decided I was going to replace the water pump myself. And I took, I took the all the parts off the car. The water pump, I took it off myself. I mean, my dad was a mechanic too, so I wasn't clueless being around cars. I had nuts, bolts, all on the ground, parts laying all over the place, all on the ground, right? I was feeling pretty good about myself. You know, I had taken the part off until it was time to put it back together. Now I'm staring at this thing. I'm looking at the manual, scratching my head. Finally, I swallowed my pride and called my uncle. I walked in the house and he was sitting down having dinner. He walked outside, looked under the hood, looked at the parts on the ground, and what felt like 30 seconds, I'm kidding. I mean, I'm not kidding. He had that water pump back together again. And then I had an epiphany. The problem wasn't the water pump, the problem was me. I was looking at the individual parts, but my uncle, he understood the design. See, I saw pieces, but he saw the purpose. He understood why that water pump was where it was, why it was located there, what was its function. He saw how every part was supposed to work together. Years later, I realized that's how life kind of works sometimes, doesn't it? We see pieces, sometimes we see them all, but God sees the picture. A lot of times we see today's issues. I mean, we know all the problems, we can name them CNN, ESP, all the problems. But God sees purpose. Stay with me now. I mean, think about that. This is what the manufacturer does. That's the difference. The manufacturer, he's not guessing. He knows why the pieces are there. He knows what happens when things go wrong. He knows how it's supposed to work, and how every other piece depends on each other. And can I tell you what I think? I think a lot of us have been taught that life is supposed to look like this. Go to work, pay bills, retire, and die. I don't believe that. I believe we were created for more than just survival. I believe God gave you and I a purpose before He ever, or before we ever had a picture. Before we ever became husbands or fathers. I mean, and here's a good thing: the purpose part of it, you don't have to invent. You some say you discover it, but the creator always knows why. Why he created what he created. So we don't have to go looking for it. He didn't hide it, he put it in a place you could not miss it. He deposited it inside of us. You see, the creator determines the purpose of the creation. We don't determine our own purpose, contrary to popular belief. And maybe that's why so many men feel lost, frustrated. We've all got the pieces. Marriage, kids, career, money, faith. But we're standing there like I mean, like I was in my uncle's driveway trying to figure out how all of this fits together. That's why I don't think we just need another opinion. We need the manufacturer. Because the one who designed you still knows actually where every piece belongs. I know you say, K.R., well, what happens when the creation gets damaged? What happens when life doesn't go the way it's supposed to? When you've made mistakes, what happens? Well, maybe mistakes have been made against you. I've had that happen too. Made me think about this, makes me think about my brother-in-law. He owns a junkyard. Yes, he does. And I'm telling you, had I known junkyards made that kind of money, I I may not have gone to college. As a matter of fact, some of y'all would have skipped high school. Believe me when I tell you, think about it. They can sell almost everything on that vehicle, the bumper, the headlights, the doors, the mirrors, the seats, the wheels, the steering wheel. I mean, you name it. You can't miss them. Even the little pieces still have value. Like an O2 sensor. And one day I had a light bulb go off. A car, the insurance company calls a car total, right? But it still has value. Does that make sense? I mean a car that the uh the car that the insurance company calls total still has value. I wonder how many men are listening to this conversation, have let life determine or tell them that they're totaled. I mean, maybe it was a divorce. Maybe a bankruptcy. I know. I know. Maybe an addiction. Maybe a decision. Maybe, man, maybe you got grown children who won't answer the phone. Or call you. Maybe you're sitting there thinking, you can stick a fork in me, man. I'm done. Can I tell you something? My good man. The insurance company may ride a vehicle off. A junkyard will salvage everything that's left. God, but God doesn't own a junkyard, he restores. The world sees damage, but he sees the design. The world sees failure. He sees purpose. Now, let's pop the hood for a minute. Let's start the engine. We'll start with the engine. You know what's under the hood of a Hemi, a Power Stroke, a Duramac, a Max Eco Boost. A lot of you men know. You know the horsepower, the towing capacity. But let me ask you, when the little check light engine comes on, you know the one I'm talking about. And we just keep driving. It'll be alright. It'll go off. I'll get to it next week. Sounds familiar? Can I ask you something? Maybe it's your marriage, brother. Maybe it's your attitude. Could be your health. Could be a bitterness you've been carrying around for years. Maybe. Maybe it's pride. You won't pick up the phone and make a call that you should make. Maybe it's somebody that you still haven't forgiven. And every now and then God taps you on the shoulder. And we keep saying, I'll get to it. Here's what I've learned. Ignoring the warning light never fixes the problem. It just gives the problem more time to grow. And that's really what second wind is all about. People think second wind is about a better job. No. Has nothing to do with a better job, a bigger house, a promotion, more money. Nothing to do with that. I think second wind happens when the man changes. Not because life suddenly gets easier, it doesn't. But because the man facing life is different. How about that? See, you can repaint a car, truck, you can put bigger wheels on it, lift it up six inches, or six feet if you want to. Put a louder exhaust on it, make it look amazing. I mean spectacular. But if the engine blows, hmm, if the engine's gone, I I promise you, you're not going very far. And I think that's what a lot of us, that's what a lot of us have done. We spent years upgrading the outside and neglect what's under the hood. You've heard me say this before, life gets better when you get better, not because something magically changes, but because you change, the husband changes, the father changes, the leader changes, the disciple changes, the man changes. That's a second win, man. Remember my uncle? And that water pump we talked about. I thought I had a water pump problem. Turns out I had an understanding problem. I was standing there, man, looking at parts on the ground, wondering how they all fit together after I took it apart. But my uncle, my uncle understood the design. You remember that? And you know what? Maybe that's why every one of those cars at the car show had the hood open. Think about it. Nobody was asking what kind of wax did you use? Nobody cared if the owner got ferragamos on. Sooner or later, somebody always said, pop the hood. Because after we've seen the paint, which is nice, we want to know what's really underneath. I wonder if that's where we are as men. We spend a lot of time making sure the outside looks good. Fresh haircut, nice shoes, custom shirt, Swiss watch, right? Looking successful, looking strong, right? Looking like we got it all together. But if God says pop the hood, what would he find? That's really why I started Second Win. Not because men need another podcast or I needed to be on one. I promise you that. There's no shortage of podcasts. Not because men need somebody yelling at them every Wednesday. Well, I don't yell, but I started it because I believe too many good men have forgotten who they are. My hope is that every episode reminds you of who you are. Not of who the world says you are, but of who God created you to be. So here's what I need you to do. When the episode is over, and you go back to your car or truck, before you crank it up, before you grab the phone, just sit there for a minute. Then ask yourself one question. What's under my hood? Not my Ford, not my Chevy, not my Dodge. Me. Because one day nobody's going to remember what you drove. They're going to remember the man who drove it. The husband, the father, the grandfather, the mentor, the friend, the disciple. That's the legacy. Remember, we see pieces, but God sees the whole picture. And hey, let me say this before you go. If today's conversation made you think, don't let it in in your driveway. Keep going, man. That's exactly why I built krnewvision.net. You'll find the ABCs of Second Wind, the WO, Work Harder on Yourself, Resources, Books, Audios, and practical tools to help you become the man God designed you to be. Because of this podcast, it was really never meant to be the finish line. It was actually meant to be the starting line. So if you're ready, keep working on what's under the hood. And I'll see you at krnewvision.net. Until next time, life gets better when you get better. You're not late. You're not totaled. You're assigned.