How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
    all who follow his ways!
 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
    How joyful and prosperous you will be!

Psalm 128:1-2

So this post is power tool related. Kind of like the cordless battery lawnmower a while back (“My New KOBALT…“)… or last year’s fan-favorite “Rebekah in Chainsaw Rambo Mode!” This time it’s a pressure washer.

Nothing with too much power; just enough to knock the dirt off the cars. Although I may have to go up to the next nozzle because some of my dirt has memories likely going back to early last summer.

It took a while to get going. I read all the instructions, assembled the unit one careful direction at a time, hooked it up to the hose, plugged in, then turned it on. It was useless. A dribble, followed by nothing, then a sudden rush of action like it had to build up pressure before suddenly starting and then stopping again.

I was just about ready to throw the thing back in the box and send it back from whence it came when I noticed the 90-degree fold in my garden hose! Oops.

Much better with actual water flowing through!

But even a functioning pressure washer isn’t going to suddenly rectify ten months of neglect. If you ever wondered about the difference between “dirt” and “grime” then I think I could explain it to you now.

So I have to get back out with soap and a brush and maybe more. Elbow grease and strong detergent followed by more elbow grease and then maybe the new toy.

It all kind of reminds me of this tendency we all have sometimes to look for the “quick and easy” solution when there is nothing that will adequately replace hard work, commitment, and a lot of time.

So, no, purchasing a pressure washer will not get me off the hook for not paying attention to the week-by-week imperative to keep my car clean. Kind of like getting tragically out of shape but purchasing a home gym the week before your check-up, or ignoring God all year then showing up to church Christmas and Easter.

So there it is, Derek’s “moment with power tools. Have a great weekend!