"Henry Ford & Charlie Steinmetz" - by Rev. Weldon Bares

One of the best museums in our country is the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan. A large part of the museum is Greenfield Village, featuring over 80 acres and 7 historic districts.

One of the highlights of my visit there was seeing the wilderness hut of Charlie Steinmetz. His story is so interesting.

Steinmetz was an unattractive, deformed man, but he had one of the greatest minds in the field of electricity. He built the great generators for Henry Ford in his first plant in Dearborn, Michigan.

One day those generators broke down and the plant came to a halt. Nobody could fix it. They were losing money every hour. Henry Ford then called Steinmetz. The genius came and he seemed to putter around for a few hours. He finally turned on the switch and everything was working again.

A few days later Henry Ford received a bill from Steinmetz for $10,000. Although Ford was a very wealthy man, he returned the bill with a note: "Charlie, isn't this bill just a little high for a few hours of tinkering around on those motors?" Steinmetz sent the bill back to Ford, but this time it was itemized: "For tinkering around on the motors: $10. For knowing WHERE to tinker: $9,990." Henry Ford paid the bill.

When things go wrong in our lives, when things seem to be falling apart, it is our faith that our Heavenly Father can put things right again. God knows where to tinker in our lives. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

I am thankful to have a Creator who knows me inside and out, who cares and loves us. God knows WHERE to tinker in our lives. Why do we hesitate to ask for God’s help?