Lost Keys

The morning after a night of entertaining several couples, my mom called me sounding really down.  She said she had looked everywhere for her car keys and feared they somehow had made it into the trash that went to the dump that morning.  She was on her way to my grandma’s house and was frustrated and tearful. 

One of the things that deeply hurts my heart is knowing my mom is sad.  She mentioned a few more places she could look when she got home and we ended our conversation, both feeling discouraged.

As I sat on my couch thinking, I had an urge to go to my parents and try to find the keys myself.  I knew sometimes a different set of eyes sees things in a new perspective.  Before I left, I talked to God about the situation.  I told him I knew, he knew where the keys were.  I told him he is capable of making them appear anywhere in the house at any moment.  I told him how much I wanted to help my mom and how sad it made me to hear her upset.  I begged him to help me find the keys.

I jumped in the car and prayed out loud all the way to Mom and Dad’s.  About half way there I realized (because the Holy Spirit brought it to my mind) that I had been begging God for the answer I wanted.  I recalled Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus spent time crying out to God begging him to find another way to grant salvation to the world, rather than the suffering he knew he was to endure just hours away.  I remembered that Jesus ended his pleading with the words, “yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).  I knew I had to add one more thing to my prayer. 

As much as I wanted to find those keys, I’ve experienced enough pain in my life to know that God truly, “works all things together for good to those who love him” (Romns 8:28).  I believe this promise in the Bible because I have experienced it first hand, time and time again.  If God didn’t want us to find those keys, he had a reason.  And I had to trust him and let him know that I understood it if he didn’t answer my prayer the way I wanted.

I got to my parents house and looked everywhere.  I went through their car, garage, trashcans, dirty clothes, closets and drawers.  I looked under couches and outside on the patio.  Finally, as I made my way back to my car, I forced myself to say the words, “I understand your answer God.  You know better than me.”  I still felt discouraged and even cried, but I wanted God to know that I trusted his judgment.  He had a reason he did not want us to find the keys.

With one leg in my car, I caught sight of crowded shelving in the garage that I had already investigated.  I thought, in one last-ditch effort, I would closely look at each shelf.  Through my tears my eyes searched the top shelf carefully…nothing there.  As my eyes scanned the second one, miraculously there, partially hidden, sat my mom’s keys.  She must have set them down while emptying the trunk and never picked them back up. 

I shouted for joy, “Thank you Lord!”  I jumped in my car and called my mom. 

I couldn’t help but cry all the way to my grandma’s.  Not out of sadness, but out of awe that God loved me so much that he worked the events out to teach me a lesson and prove his faithfulness.  His timing was perfect because it allowed me to trust him even if he didn’t answer my prayer the way I wanted.  He taught me how much he cares for each little aspect of my life and how patient he is as I come to understand him more.

This all may seem like deep thinking and concern over a little thing, lost keys.  But the truth is, there is no little thing when it comes to God.  He cares about what we care about, and he wants us to involve him in all aspects of our lives.

It just so happens that I was (and still am to a degree) battling worry quite a bit.  It is something in my life that rears its ugly head now and then; sometimes to the point where I find myself awake at night feeling scared and alone. God used the situation with the keys to say to me:  See how I care for you?  Trust me.  I love you.  I have your best interest in mind.  And when trials come, I will lead you through them, just like I led you to the keys. 

I am so thankful that I serve a God that is intimately involved in every aspect of my life.  It blows my mind.  If he cares about keys, he certainly cares about the health and safety of my family, about our finances, about my future, and on and on.  He has a plan and a purpose and it pleases him when I trust his judgment.

The fact that I am writing this at 3 AM lets you know that I am still battling my issues with worry. I suspect it is something that I will fight my whole life. But, little situations like the lost keys serve as a reminder of the Father’s love for me and they help strengthen my faith as I stumble through this scary, wonderful journey of life.

One last thought:  I want to encourage you to cry out to God when you are facing a challenge.  Just talk out loud to him.  Go in your car or a private spot and tell him everything you’re thinking.  Ask him to strengthen your faith and understanding of him.  You don’t need fancy words, in fact the Bible tells us not to pray that way (Matthew 6:7).  Just talk to him.  I promise, he will hear you and he will answer.  Please write to me (tenillemarie@yahoo.com) and let me know how he moves in your life in little and big ways.  Let’s strengthen each other’s faith!