Do many of you, as I do, spend what seems to be over half of life searching for something misplaced or lost? I don't know if it's just an age thing, a overflowing mind malady, or just a lack of attention-paying. Whatever the reason, I just can't seem to keep up with anything lately.
A few weeks ago I realized I couldn't find my keys. Now when I say "keys" I mean KEYS. All of the keys I use in my life--car, house, garage, three for the office, church, parents' house, kid's house, and even a couple of keys to some place unknown. I guess the only key not on my lost key ring was my safe deposit box key. It was not lost. Thankfully.
Well after looking and realizing the keys were officially lost, I decided to just use the spare keys and forget it for a time. They would eventually show up. I was certain I had put them unintentionally somewhere (well, duh) or accidentally dropped them in a place where they didn't belong. After a week of still not finding the keys, I decided maybe I should get serious about it.
I was reminded of a time several years back when I lost my scrapbooking tools. Now I'm not talking just a pair of scissors and a ruler. I'm talking expensive scrapbook tools--a paper cutter, large templates, punches, and other really good stuff that I used with my hobby of scrapbooking. I realized they were lost when I went out to scrapbook and they weren't there. Isn't that how it is sometimes with us....we don't realize the importance of what we have and don't even realize it's lost until we REALLY need it. Ok, back to my story....you weren't looking for a sermon even though you might find one eventually in this post. :)
I searched and searched in my scrapbook room where I ALWAYS would use the tools and couldn't find them anywhere. I sat and thought about it to determine exactly what all was lost and then was just not understanding how those could all be lost together. Many days went by with my looking around searching. One day I decided to get REALLY SERIOUS with my search. I stood in my kitchen after looking yet for the umpteenth time in my scrapbook room and even my carport. I decided to call in the big guy...so I prayed. Right there in my kitchen. I asked the Lord to help me as I just simply didn't know where those tools were and if they were really gone, that was okay but if not, I really wanted to find them. I REALLY NEEDED to find them. The pictures and scrapbooking needs were piling up. After my entreating Him for help, I started in the kitchen, then to the den, and then through the rest of my house. I would stand in each room and visually look around for possible places these tools could be. Then when I was assured they were not there, I would move on to the next room.
I had exhausted all but one bedroom and was exhausting myself in the process but I kept talking to the Lord just like He was searching with me because He was. So I walked out of my bedroom and started to go into the last when my eyes landed on the hall closet door. I said at that point,"They can't be in the closet, Lord" and began to walk into the bedroom. It was if he totally pulled me back into the hall to that closet door. I said, "The CLOSET, Lord? Really? Ok" and I opened the closet door to see coats hung, quilts in bottom stacked, and luggage on the upper shelf. My eyes continued looking at the luggage...I said, "Really Lord, the luggage? Ok..." I pulled down the luggage and took it into my bedroom to my bed. Now it was a heavy sucker....I nest all my suitcases inside the large one for space issues. I began to unzip the large outside one and my heart and mind began to feel like I might be on to something. Still my remembering didn't remember why this would be. (And this was MANY years ago...scary for my "remembering" process.)
When I opened the large suitcase, there, of course was the next size one. I began to open it and of course again, there was the smaller one. At that point, my mind began to rejoice in anticipation as when I saw the smallest one and began to open it, I heard something in the front pouch....and yes! I remembered. There inside that pouch was every one of my lost scrapbooking tools. I had forgotten I had taken them to the scrapbooking session I would do monthly in a neighboring town. Ahhh.....I laughed. I cried. I laughed more. I congratulated the Lord. It was a happy day.
Still as I look back on that experience, I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord provided me that knowledge to find those tools. Yes, it was a small thing to Him, but a huge thing to me and He loves me even that much to help me with something so small yet so troubling. I realize that He does that every single day in some form or fashion and I don't even notice.
And the keys, you ask? Yes, I did find them. Eventually. I knew they were in my house. My mind backtracked and remembered that much. Here's where I found them:
In the kitchen pantry, fourth drawer, right side under plastic bags with the bread and chips. Isn't that where most people keep their keys? Duh. One would think we would eat bread and chips more often, huh? Obviously we don't eat them enough or the keys might have been found sooner.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) Until next time.......
A few weeks ago I realized I couldn't find my keys. Now when I say "keys" I mean KEYS. All of the keys I use in my life--car, house, garage, three for the office, church, parents' house, kid's house, and even a couple of keys to some place unknown. I guess the only key not on my lost key ring was my safe deposit box key. It was not lost. Thankfully.
Well after looking and realizing the keys were officially lost, I decided to just use the spare keys and forget it for a time. They would eventually show up. I was certain I had put them unintentionally somewhere (well, duh) or accidentally dropped them in a place where they didn't belong. After a week of still not finding the keys, I decided maybe I should get serious about it.
I was reminded of a time several years back when I lost my scrapbooking tools. Now I'm not talking just a pair of scissors and a ruler. I'm talking expensive scrapbook tools--a paper cutter, large templates, punches, and other really good stuff that I used with my hobby of scrapbooking. I realized they were lost when I went out to scrapbook and they weren't there. Isn't that how it is sometimes with us....we don't realize the importance of what we have and don't even realize it's lost until we REALLY need it. Ok, back to my story....you weren't looking for a sermon even though you might find one eventually in this post. :)
I searched and searched in my scrapbook room where I ALWAYS would use the tools and couldn't find them anywhere. I sat and thought about it to determine exactly what all was lost and then was just not understanding how those could all be lost together. Many days went by with my looking around searching. One day I decided to get REALLY SERIOUS with my search. I stood in my kitchen after looking yet for the umpteenth time in my scrapbook room and even my carport. I decided to call in the big guy...so I prayed. Right there in my kitchen. I asked the Lord to help me as I just simply didn't know where those tools were and if they were really gone, that was okay but if not, I really wanted to find them. I REALLY NEEDED to find them. The pictures and scrapbooking needs were piling up. After my entreating Him for help, I started in the kitchen, then to the den, and then through the rest of my house. I would stand in each room and visually look around for possible places these tools could be. Then when I was assured they were not there, I would move on to the next room.
I had exhausted all but one bedroom and was exhausting myself in the process but I kept talking to the Lord just like He was searching with me because He was. So I walked out of my bedroom and started to go into the last when my eyes landed on the hall closet door. I said at that point,"They can't be in the closet, Lord" and began to walk into the bedroom. It was if he totally pulled me back into the hall to that closet door. I said, "The CLOSET, Lord? Really? Ok" and I opened the closet door to see coats hung, quilts in bottom stacked, and luggage on the upper shelf. My eyes continued looking at the luggage...I said, "Really Lord, the luggage? Ok..." I pulled down the luggage and took it into my bedroom to my bed. Now it was a heavy sucker....I nest all my suitcases inside the large one for space issues. I began to unzip the large outside one and my heart and mind began to feel like I might be on to something. Still my remembering didn't remember why this would be. (And this was MANY years ago...scary for my "remembering" process.)
When I opened the large suitcase, there, of course was the next size one. I began to open it and of course again, there was the smaller one. At that point, my mind began to rejoice in anticipation as when I saw the smallest one and began to open it, I heard something in the front pouch....and yes! I remembered. There inside that pouch was every one of my lost scrapbooking tools. I had forgotten I had taken them to the scrapbooking session I would do monthly in a neighboring town. Ahhh.....I laughed. I cried. I laughed more. I congratulated the Lord. It was a happy day.
Still as I look back on that experience, I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord provided me that knowledge to find those tools. Yes, it was a small thing to Him, but a huge thing to me and He loves me even that much to help me with something so small yet so troubling. I realize that He does that every single day in some form or fashion and I don't even notice.
And the keys, you ask? Yes, I did find them. Eventually. I knew they were in my house. My mind backtracked and remembered that much. Here's where I found them:
In the kitchen pantry, fourth drawer, right side under plastic bags with the bread and chips. Isn't that where most people keep their keys? Duh. One would think we would eat bread and chips more often, huh? Obviously we don't eat them enough or the keys might have been found sooner.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) Until next time.......
