Pool Cleaning 101
[posted July 17, 2007 • 8:21AM • Bill Gibson]

There are just some things we can't see. Like the bottom of the deep end when the cover gets pulled off the pool for the first time of the season. When this happens, the long and arduous task of pool cleaning begins. It's like a holy quest for crystal clear water!

I don't know anything about pool cleaning. There are just some things we don't know. But I am learning — learning on the fly.

When we moved, we were fortunate and blessed to find the added benefit of a beautiful in-ground swimming pool at our new home. It wasn't so beautiful last week. At least the water wasn't. It was so green that you couldn't see more than 6 or 8 inches down into it. My youngest son JC wanted to jump in because someone told him he would look like the Incredible Hulk if he were to throw caution into the wind and take a dive. You don't tell fearless 7-year-old boys that kind of thing...

For almost 5 days, JC got up every morning and put his swimming trunks on and came down by the pool and waited. "Can I get in now?" he would ask, over and over. And with every response of "No" that I gave him, the more disappointed he became.

I understood what he was feeling. I was getting kind of discouraged too. Each day passed by and the pool was nowhere close to being crystal clear! But I found myself continuing to vacuum, add the appropriate chemicals, and backwash the filter — all the really technical stuff I was learning on the fly. In truth, I needed a book or a class titled, "Pool Cleaning 101."

I guess what kept me in this holy quest for crystal clear water was the encouragement of a couple of people. Yeah, I know... weird. Both were by the house when I had first started cleaning the pool, and then throughout the process they had dropped by for various reasons other than a pool inspection. But while they were there, the unsolicited comments came... "The pool is looking good!"

"What??" I said (in my head of course), with a look on my face like I was staring at a three-headed monster. From my perspective, the pool looked terrible. I saw it in the eyes of JC my son too, as he hung out by the pool patiently, waiting for me to give him the green light.

The difference between my perspective and the perspective of my pool inspectors was how we were measuring progress. When you are consumed with something, you can't see it as clearly as someone who only sees that something on occasion.

And yet without even seeing it, and after days of vacuuming and testing, all of the sudden I had reached what was seemingly impossible... The holy quest had ended! Crystal clear water was mine!! Yes!

Reflecting on this entire process I realized how much it is like our own spiritual journey. Sometimes we can't see any progress at all — this transformation into the likeness of Christ? Instead, all we see are the times we might stumble or fall. Most of us try to hold ourselves to a standard so high that we can never reach it. Our desire to "pay our dues" or "earn our way" contaminates our ability to receive grace. We are certainly NOT worthy — that part is the same, no matter the perspective. In fact, that's the point! It's the very place where pride and humility collide. And too often, we can't see it because we are consumed by the "process."

We want progress. We want to "see" this transformation so that we can determine if the investment of our time, talents, prayers, and service is going to pay dividends. Can you believe the arrogance of that posture? Our humanness is pretty ruthless.

And just when we are ready to give up — to throw the vacuum hose into the deep end and kick the chemical containers across the yard — an encouraging word finds us. Someone sees our journey from a different perspective. They see a transforming person, even when we feel the same and can't see passed our own expectations. And the unsolicited comments come... "Hey, you are such a blessing!" or "Thank you for all you do!" or "I see such growth in you," or "You inspire me," etc, etc...

We have to remember that God's ways are not our ways. And when we can't seem to see the progress we desire, we have to realize that it is not about us. It's about God's will and plan for our lives. You never know who God might have watching you struggle with pool cleaning 101. The struggle on your journey becomes a testimony to others of the new life God has given you.

There are just some things we can't see. Our perspective sometimes won't allow it. But when God allows us to see from His perspective, through the eyes and voices of other people, all of the sudden things come into view. The water becomes crystal clear. And when this happens, it's time to jump in the deep end!

Good thing I don't know anything about pool cleaning... This learning-on-the-fly thing seems to be working.

Have you ever considered throwing all caution into the wind and diving into the deep end? Give it a try!