A few months ago, my wife got us one of those fancy vacuum cleaners that will suck up everything from casual dust to extraneous nuts and bolts that might be lying around, without so much as a hiccup. In all honesty, I actually enjoy vacuuming with that thing. Spot a speck on the floor. Roll that wonderful piece of ingenuity over the top of it, and bingo, it’s sucked into the bowels of the machine, never to be seen or heard from again.

Except … except that yesterday, when I went to vacuum my office, I had a major problem. I plugged in the fancy vacuum, just like I always do. I pushed the ‘On’ button, expecting to hear that familiar ‘whir’ of the motor. Nothing. Not a burp. Not a moan. Nothing.

I noticed a blinking red light, alerting me to me ‘problem.’ Yes, friends. It seems that my vacuum bag needed to be changed. Totally full of ‘casual dust and nuts and bolts.’ I went to the hall closet where we keep our supply of vacuum bags. Grabbed one, and carefully (oh, so carefully) exchanged the full bag in my machine for a fresh one.

“Now,” I thought. “Now, my fancy vacuum will work.” But I thought wrong. When I turned on my machine, no noise. Still, it was. Not a burp. Not a moan. Nothing. Me being the astute person I am, and knowing how to find answers to such dilemmas, I referenced a source I knew would have the answer. (No. I didn’t look at the owner’s manual. I asked my wife.)

“Did you push the re-set button in the back of the vacuum?” she asked. “What re-set button,” said I. “The one in the back of the machine,” she replied, as she turned the vacuum on its side, located a little red button marked “re-set” (who knew?) and pushed it. Then, with a look of certainty — a sort of ‘if-you’re-going-to-operate-the-machine,-you-have-to-know-how-to-use-the-re-set-button” look — she switched on the vacuum. Like magic, I heard the familiar whir, as my wife tilted the handle toward me.

“There you go,” she said. “Knock yourself out.”

I hope this little incident helps you take note, today, too:

1. It’s important to recognize what an incredible ‘machine’ God made when He thought of you.
2. You are capable of extraordinary things; things that may indeed suck the very life out of you.
3. Life can become engorged with the dust, and dirt, and nuts, and bolts of life, so take note when things aren’t working as they should.
4. Often, real and lasting change can only happen when you not only notice your life is too full, but you choose to ‘re-set’ your life with God’s priorities. (Coaching can help with that process.)
5. And finally, hitting that re-set button will hopefully help you get back to enjoying yourself, serving Him. (That’s another way of saying, ‘Knock yourself out!’)