The sparkling crystal clear water mesmerized me as it danced in the sunlight. Last year, my twelve foot, above ground pool was a constant source of frustration. No matter what I tried, the water always looked dirty. This year, the same pool contains such clear water that I am getting as much enjoyment looking at it as I do floating in it.

Each year as I pack the pool away for the winter, I coat the bottom and sides with talcum powder to keep the plastic from sticking to itself. When I set the pool back up last summer, I didn’t spend much time rinsing away the powder. I figured the pump and filter would take care of that. I also thought the same thing when clay fell into the pool as I struggled getting the pool’s legs in place before adding the water. As the water filled, it took on a reddish brown tint with powder floating on top. I couldn’t wait until the pool was full enough to turn on the pump. When I was finally able to do so, dismay replaced my confident expectation. The pump and filter seemed to have no effect on the ugly water.

Over the next month, I did everything I knew to do. I added chlorine – lots of chlorine – which helped a little, but not for long. I bought a stronger pump and filter but it didn’t make a different. I vacuumed the bottom daily and ran a skimmer all day and night but the pool still looked dirty. It had taken almost a full day to fill the pool with our well water and our town was now in the midst of a drought so emptying the pool and starting over was not an option.

Even if we had decided to ignore the discolored water, my granddaughter and I still couldn’t get in because of the chlorine level. I just couldn’t get it right. Shocking the water repeatedly and overloading the floating chlorine dispenser did not work. The chlorine was either too high or too low.

I finally gave up, emptied the pool, powdered it, and put it away for the winter.

This year, having learned that my ideas the year before had gotten me nowhere, decided to start with research. Instead of reading only the articles about the problems I was having, I read everything and built an understanding of what pools need and how different elements affect it. I learned that I needed to check more than just the chlorine level because the pH level and stability of the water affected the ability of the chlorine to do its job. I learned that the water temperature and the weather affected the level of chlorine. I also learned that powder and clay particles are too fine to be caught in a filter. I then acted on what I learned.

I made sure the foundation was level. I laid down an oversized piece of underlay so that it extended out beyond the border of the pool and covered the clay ground. I carefully scrubbed and rinsed away as much of the powder as I could. And then I filled the pool, making sure that my feet were free from clay as I entered and re-entered the pool to smooth out wrinkles. I also made sure my granddaughter’s feet were free from clay before she got in the pool.

It’s been two weeks and the water is still crystal clear.

Last year I did what made sense to me.

This year I went by the book.

As I consider this, it reminds me of how Christians, generally speaking, live their lives. Some live by what makes sense to them. Others live by the Book.

In this series of blogs, I want to look at different facets of a Christian’s life through the lens of whether we are doing what makes sense or whether we are following the Word. And what difference, if any, that makes.

Stay tuned for Part 1 The Kingdom of Heaven