Let me explain why i ask. Many years ago, when we returned from boarding school, we found that dad had acquired a vacuum cleaner. I remember it was orange in colour with black wheels and black pipe. Ofcourse we had seen it in movies, knew what it did and were excited to plug into power to use the machine.
What i did not understand was why it kept releasing dust every time i used it to clean the carpet.
All this time, there was this khaki bag in the box whose purpose i didnt know. I later learnt that this bag sits in the vacuum cabin and it collects all the dust and other things that are blown by the cleaner. (This i learnt much later, after i left my parents home. Kale much later.)
I cant remember if there was a manual in the box that housed the cleaner. I dont think i had the sense to read the instructions. (Now i do read manuals)
The vacuum story is sometimes how we go through life. We try to clean up the messes in out lives and end up creating more messes.
We want to stop doing bad things but have not fixed the vacuum bag inside the cleaner and so as we blow away dust from the floor, the pressure of the cleaner releases the dust into the air making even a bigger mess.
I have been in this situation before with my finances, my relationships. Maybe you too have.
It doesn’t always have to be like this. Might i make suggestions on a few steps that could guide your use of a vacuum cleaner aka project clean up your life.
1. After admitting your faults, pray to God for a solution.
2. When you get a vacuum cleaner, please read the manual. Its that ‘hard to read’ document that will inevitably save you the hassle of blindly forging through life. That manual is also called BIBLE. It has answers to everything. I mean everything.
3. Insert the vacuum bag in the cleaner to trap all the dirt that is blown off the carpet. This vacuum bag could mean, changing the people you hang out with, paying your debt and avoiding spending sprees. It could mean joining a few enrichment classes to gain knowledge in an area that’s going to transform your life. (Think deeply about what you want to change and what the vacuum bag represents.
4. Remember to empty the vacuum bag. Let the dirt go to where it belongs. In the rubbish pit. (Fill in the missing words)
5. If you still cant discern how to use the vacuum cleaner, ask someome for help. You dont want to dispose a good machine just because you cant get the hang of it.
This is the end of my story.
Mother of Boys 