Lessons from the Vacuum Cleaner

Today I got out our handy, dandy trusty Eureka vacuum.  I started in our living room.  I swept away...back and forth...back and forth thinking about my to-do list.  It took me a while, but I noticed something...hmm, it didn't seem to be picking up.  The vacuum isn't very old and it normally works very well.  I had a long list of things to do.  I was in a hurry.  I didn't feel like dealing with a problem.  I kept vacuuming.  I kept vacuuming...the same area over and over.  It wasn't working.  There was clearly a problem and it needed to be dealt with.  I thought, "What a hassle!" 

I took off the canister.  Woa!  It was full.  I looked at the filter.  Woa!  It was clogged.  I mean, it was really clogged.  Why hadn't I noticed this before?  Why hadn't I emptied it the last time I used the vacuum?  I wasted all that time trying to vacuum...over and over...with a full canister and a clogged filter.  It only took a few minutes to empty the canister...and just a few more to take a toothbrush to the filter.  I couldn't believe the amount of dirt that I got out of the filter!  I had to vacuum the living room all over again, with my "renewed" vacuum cleaner.  This time it worked beautifully!  I was so glad that I took the time to take care of the dirt and the clog...and wondered why I hadn't done it sooner.

Why didn't I deal with the full canister and clogged filter before..before there was a problem?  I was so busy trying to save time that I wasted time trying to vacuum with a machine that wasn't working to it's full capabilty.  Why didn't I stop to deal with the problem when it arose?  The solution was so simple.  I dealt with the dirt, the clogged up filter, and things went so much more smoothly. 

I believe there' a spiritual application here.  I'll let you figure it out...

I got up early one morning

and rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish,

I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

and heavier came each task.

Why doesn't God help me? I wondered,

He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

but the day toiled on, gray and bleak.

I wondered why God didn't show me,

He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence,

I used all my keys at the lock.

God gently and lovingly chided,

"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning

and paused before entering the day.

I had so much to accomplish

That I had to take time to pray.

Grace L. Naessens

AND I would add to Grace's words that we should also take the time to be in God's Word and to let God's Word get into us.  Going to God in prayer and spending time in His Word...it will help us keep the dirt in our lives dealt with and our hearts "clog" free...allowing us to work to our fullest potential.  :)