Pool Cleaners

I was getting frustrated with our pool cleaner (Kreepy Krawly) this morning, in the rain. There was a lot of sand and leaves and stuff from our neighbour's cypress and pine trees, that overhang the wall between us, on the bottom of the pool - all a result of the wonderful rain that we have been having the last few days. The Kreepy insisted on getting stuck in a coil and staying in the same position - threatening to suck the paint off that corner of the pool. In spite of my efforts to get it to move in a different direction, it came back to that same stuck position. Eventually it seemed to get the message and careered off to the other end of the pool at the end of its pipe. And then I got to thinking about the Aquanaut that we had as a first pool cleaner 20 years ago. This little device was the best cleaner - it worked on a random figure of eight and wasn't restricted in its movement by the connecting pipe. It cleaned the pool effectively and fast - within a matter of 20 minutes or so. The trouble with the aquanaut was that the company went bankrupt. Although the design was excellent there were too many moving parts - and the contract was that the worn out parts would be replaced free of charge - and because there were many moving parts they wore out fast. That was a great pity. The Kreepy on the other hand, does not have the same sort of moving parts and is very restricted in its motion by the pipe. It is true to say that the cleaners do do what they are made to do - which is to help one clean the pool - though not perfectly. And then I got to thinking about those of us who are of the household of God. Some of us are restricted in what we are called to do by whatever it is that we remain attached to. Others of us are a bit less restricted and go about our work with carefree abandon - but our many working parts get worked out and begin to fail us. Pool cleaners are there to help clean pools. God's people are there to help clean up the world. But all of us, whether mechanical or human, are restricted by our manufacturer's specifications. A sobering thought!