Why Was God In My Vacuum Cleaner?
When my kids were toddlers, they loved putting all sorts of stickers in their sticker books. Telletubbies and Thomas trains were some of their favorites.
One day while I was cleaning the house, the vacuum cleaner couldn’t suck up the Goldfish cracker crumbs on the carpet. So I turned the machine over, got on my knees, and opened it up. I laughed out loud when I saw what was clogging the pipe.
A two-inch rainbow sticker with the words “God Is In All Things” was stuck at the end of the dusty tube. I took it out and could not stop laughing. My three kids came running over. “What’s so funny?”
“God is in the vacuum cleaner!” I said.
“Huh?”
I had to explain the joke to them and then they laughed with me. To commemorate that little God-moment, I put the sticker in a prominent place in our kitchen so we’d always remember that God is indeed in everything. Even the dirty vacuum cleaner.
So if He’s in everything, then why do we work so hard to achieve greatness on our own? When we strive for perfection or put in long hours on a project that’s frustrating us, we’re actually keeping God out of the picture by doing it ourselves. And He so wants to be a part of everything we do.
I learned this big time when my daughter, Ariana, was in 5th grade, sick with Crohn’s and Juvenile Arthritis. I thought I was trusting God with her health. Over time, He gently showed me how my fear was the antithesis of trust. My fearful attitude brought out my controlling nature, which led to frantic Internet research. I was convinced that it was up to me to find a cure for her incurable illnesses. But that was me trying to do it on my own, asking God to bless my plan instead of me following His lead. Back then, I had no clue there was even a difference between the two.
Eventually, I learned that it was more important for me to follow God every step of the way. To trust the Almighty Father with my daughter’s health, no matter what the outcome. I had to surrender Ariana’s care into God’s hands–a move that often felt risky. Because God wanted to be in all-things-Gabriela, He patiently waited for me to release my grip on my little girl’s illness, one finger at a time. And when I finally let go, He showed up in a big way!
Surrendering to the Almighty God is the hardest and most liberating thing I’ve ever done. And that‘s why I’m writing a book about our journey.
The day I “found God” in the vacuum cleaner, He reminded me that He’s with us in the dirt and grime of our everyday lives. Yes, I see Him in the beauty of a hummingbird on our back deck, or rays of sunlight streaming out of puffy clouds. But sometimes its easier for me to feel His presence in my miserable moments, or to see Him in my tarnished yesterdays where hindsight is as clear as Lake Tahoe‘s blue sky.
What one part of your life can you allow God into today? Just pick one small area, and give Him more and more reign over it. Then move on to another part later. But for now, just surrender one little thing. And let me know how it goes–I’d love to pray for you.
“He tends His flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
He gently leads those that have young.“
Isaiah 40:11
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