What About The Other Wheels?
It is one of those “old sayings” that most of us have heard many, many times. We may have even used it ourselves from time to time.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
That statement can be interpreted in a variety of ways. It seems to me that the most common interpretation has to do with a person or group who is constantly complaining and/or demanding. Attention that could be given and effort that could be utilized somewhere else is directed toward appeasing what may only be a perceived oversight, mistreatment, etc.
The issue may not have anything to do with complaining or demanding. It may just very well be that some circumstances may dictate that time and resources cannot be equally distributed. The possibilities are almost endless.
It could be that one family member may be in very bad health. One department in a company may be in need of additional attention in order for the company to function as it should. An individual or a family in a church may be going through a crisis. As you can imagine, these situations represent just the tip of the iceberg of situations that could call for additional focused attention.
Sadly, there is also another scenario that needs to be considered. It seems to be the case that some people intend to be the “squeaky wheel.” These are the people who intentionally disrupt, misbehave, cause trouble, try to negatively influence others, etc. They seem to have an innate ability to draw attention to themselves.
What about those from whom the attention is drawn? What about the people who do not demand or complain? What about those who are not presently going through some sort of crisis?
What about those who do their best to cooperate, live in harmony with others, and be a positive influence? The sad truth is that, in many cases, they are often overlooked, taken for granted, and/or ignored.
You may remember a man in the Bible by the name of Diotrephes. To say the least, he was “squeaking” very loudly. In fact, it seems that he thought he was running the entire congregation of which he was a member. You can read about Diotrephes in 3 John 9-10.
You can also read about another man in 3 John.
Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself… (v. 12).
Squeaking wheels can be annoying. They can hinder progress and even be destructive.
The wheels that are not squeaking are the ones that keep things going in a positive direction. All of us would do well to acknowledge and appreciate them.
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
