On Cleaning My Car’s Engine
by Oliver Carlos
During the long hard lockdown in summer of 2020, I ran out of things to do. Aside from doing online classes and afternoon physical exercises, I felt I needed to do something else to break the monotony of things. So I decided to clean my cars’ engines. I have 2 Suzukis- an Alto, and an Ertiga. The Alto’s engine was more challenging to clean because I haven’t really cleaned it since acquiring it in 2011.
You can just imagine how much dust and grime had accumulated in the engine bay for the past decade or so. Aside from this, cleaning car engines is really a big challenge because you just can’t splash running water into it. Some parts are delicate and can be damaged by getting wet. I think they are the ones related to the car’s electronic system. They’re not waterproof, and so the engine won’t start if water seeps through them.
So how did I clean my car’s engine? I just used a damp cloth. I wiped clean every square inch of the engine bay using my bare hands, or rather hand. I discovered that it’s easier to clean the engine bay with the left hand. I was able to reach farther and wipe at better angles using my left hand. I’d say I used my left hand 95% of the time in accomplishing this task.
This activity was perfect for getting the boredom out of me. I enjoyed cleaning my cars’ engines. I always believed that if I don’t take good care of my possessions, they will leave me sooner than I expect. Because I love my cars, I enjoyed every second of my labor. I made sure every tight corner was cleaned. No hidden dust was left unwiped. I made a conscious effort to seek those secret nooks so that my engine bay would be spick-and-span.
It took me 2 days to clean the Alto, and 1 day for the Ertiga. The latter was easier because it’s a newer car, thus it didn’t have too much dust accumulated yet.
Months later, this experience made me understand better a Bible passage I encountered in my readings. Psalm 139:23–24 (TLB) says:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
If the Alto was a human and could speak, this would have been its prayer to its owner. Similarly, each day we must open up ourselves to God, ask him to examine our hearts and thoughts. Pray that he will point to us whatever sin or unpleasant thought in us. We must surrender to him every secret nook or tight corner in our heart that is harboring things that God doesn’t like.
Because God loves us so, he will gladly and patiently transform us until we reach the state that he wanted for us. Let us pray this prayer to him daily, as we walk with him along the path he’s leading us to.
