That pesky Check Engine light has been on again in one of our vehicles. So I stopped by Autozone to have them run a diagnostic test and tell me why the light is on. Turns out the oxygen sensor is the culprit. The O2 
sensor has a probe that extends into the exhaust pipe and “sniffs” the burned exhaust. It is designed to alert you if your engine is not tuned properly and is spewing out excessive pollution.
Well, I went online to learn what to do about it. After a little searching, I came across an article titled, Clear Check Engine Light For Less Than 5 Dollars. That certainly got my attention!
Here’s a summary of this “solution”: install a one-inch spacer on the oxygen sensor so that the probe no longer extends down into the exhaust pipe. That way it’s no longer immersed in the stream of polluted exhaust and won’t trigger the check engine light. The spacer costs less than $5. Mission accomplished, right?
Hmmm. Something is rotten in Denmark.
Aren’t we always looking for short-cuts? Time and again we go to great lengths to avoid addressing the real problem (the engine needs a tune-up). This seems to be true in so many areas of our lives. For example, how many of us prefer to take a pill instead of addressing unhealthy eating habits?
I think the same is true in our spiritual lives. If something triggers the Check Spiritual Health light, we’re mighty tempted just to find a work-around. Reading the Bible tends to make me feel bad about my sinful habit, so I just read it less. If I have a friend who is likely to bring up some area of spiritual slippage, I just don’t hang around that friend very much.
Once — after I had already bought a car — I noticed a piece of black electrical tape on the instrument panel. I hadn’t noticed it before and wondered what in the world that was doing there. I peeled it back to reveal… a glowing Check Engine light! Cheapest solution yet!
Friend, warning lights are there for a reason. Is one glowing on the instrument panel of your life? Spacers and black tape aren’t solutions, they just mask the problem.