Crossed Wires

The robot spun helplessly in circles as the kids turned and looked at us (their coaches) in panic. Our LEGO robotics team had been practicing for months for this event. Ten students (4th-7th grade) and three coaches had come together to design, build and program a robot to compete in the First LEGO League tournament. Now our robot pirouetted like a mechanical ballerina while the opposing team's robot accomplished task after task.

The clock showed no mercy. At the end of the allotted two minutes and thirty seconds a loud buzz signaled that our time was up.  

"Stupid robot." One student muttered. "It's broken. We've lost."

We gathered the team for an emergency meeting and they put their heads together. After several discouraging minutes, one of the kids discovered the problem. The cable connecting the motor to the wheels was out of place. A quick adjustment and the robot sprang forward and rolled across the floor to the sound of the team's cheers.

One tiny cord out of place had caused the entire problem.

Does that ever happen in your life? It does in mine.

We try to teach the LEGO kids to go down a checklist of possibilities when the robot is "misbehaving." I think it applies to our lives as well. 

• Is the battery charged? 

  If we so busy that we never take time to recharge, we can end up dead in the water.

• Is the right program running? 

  We always reminded the kids that the robot isn't "out to get them." It can only do what it's program tells it to do. So who is doing my programming? Is it God? Way too often it's ME.

• Is everything plugged in correctly? 

  The wires allow the robot brain to communicate with its parts. Am I keeping my lines of communication opened with God? With my family? With my church? 

• Are the wheels aligned?  

  We learned early that our robot was prone to veering off course if the wheels were not pointing the right direction. What am I pointing toward? What's my focus? My goal? Am I off course?

The kids were primed and ready for their next turn at the competition table. They were proud that they had overcome this hurdle and didn't give up and go home. They still talk about it a year later. The team didn't win any trophies that year, but I think they learned some valuable lessons that they are going to carry with them for a long time. 

Keep trying.
Don't panic.
Go through your checklist.
Try again. 
And again. 
And again.