Roomba

A couple years ago when I was living out at the trailer in Montbrook, I did my own housecleaning, and it never was too much of a dread for this reason...I wasn't a filthy person, so cleaning only took a couple hours....even with the roommate I had. Her name was Roomba. She wasn't from Africa though she sounds like she could have been. She was a clean freak I must say. I changed the bed linens, cleaned the sinks, mopped and dusted and left the vacuuming to her. She did a good job without a word of complaining.

Roomba was a robot. I bought her just because it gets a little rough toting a vacuum cleaner around in my lap from room to room, otherwise the cord and stuff got tangled in my wheelchair tires. When I first bought Roomba, I had to read the instructions and saw that she needed charging for a good 3 hours, so I plugged her in that first night I brought her home and got an eerie-feeling as I watched her glowing power light slowly pulsate, almost as if she were breathing. I thought, "Man, I hope this thing doesn't attack me during the night!" I started to shut my door, but I went on to bed and as the sun came up and brightened my room the next morning, I knew I had made it safely through the night without any attacks. I got up and put the batteries in the remote and read up on the virtual walls (two objects larger than a softball which you set it in any area you don't want Roomba to go). The virtual wall projects a hidden beam only Roomba can see, and when she "hits" the beam, she turns around and goes in another direction and continues her cleaning.

So it was time to put ole Roomba to the test. After I cleaned my sinks, dusted, and mopped my bathroom & kitchen floors, I set up my virtual walls in the particular areas where she wouldn't track in on them. I hit the power switch, and then the clean button on the remote and backed up. Roomba made a couple "beeping" sounds as though she understood, then she took off. I turned on the power around 1:30 that afternoon and she cleaned my floors like a pro (even under the beds) for about an hour and a half. Since I had told Mama about Roomba, she called to check and see if she was collecting any dust or dirt, but rather than stop her in the middle of cleaning, I waited until she was through...and then I opened the little "drawer" that contains the dirt/dust, and it was full. There's a little sign underneath the vacuum that says she "...appreciates a good cleaning of her brushes when she's through, and you can be sure she'll clean just as good the next time." It really was fun to watch, it was as if there really was a miniature person in the house. She'd bump into a piece of furniture and turn around and go in the opposite direction. She'd also take out and go underneath the bed. It was very important to check beforehand to make sure there was nothing on the floor she'd get tangled up in like cords (which I had placed on top of the beds and furniture). She would zigzag all around the room at first, almost as if she were programming herself with its dimensions, but she never missed a lick as you could see her track marks on the carpet and tell just where she had been. She even went into the corners cleaning. After she finished her job, she gave a couple beeps and shut off...and if she'd have had one, her tongue probably would have been hanging out.


I learned something spiritual from watching Roomba. Roomba, like myself, could do nothing for which she was created until she got plugged into an energy source. My energy source is Jesus Christ. I really came alive when I made Him Lord of my life. My spiritual battery gets a full charge when I read God's Word and daily commune with the Lord (prayer), then, when I run into temptations, the Word I've hidden in my heart let's me know when or if I need to turn in another direction. The Holy Spirit that resides within me acts as my virtual walls, and places a beam of conviction (and uneasy feeling) in my heart.


Are you sitting still as Roomba was in her box, and going nowhere in your life? Maybe you've already made a mess of your life as I had. It's never too lets to get started again. I promise. Get plugged in to the right source. Jesus Christ. He cleans like no other...soooo much more than even Roomba can.