Last weekend saw me at a Women's Retreat. I had been asked by sweet friends to speak. I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant about even going at first.
For one, I seem to be chasing my tail. Anybody hear me?
My laundry hasn't been caught up in weeks. My refrigerator needs fumigation. I have more deadlines than I have flip flops. My body has been suffering from some neglect. In fact, I had to make a Wal-mart run for some clean spundies. I hadn't had to do that since my school teaching/college going days.
Why in the world would I take off for a weekend when I had so much to do?
It didn't help that I lost my keys.
Yup. Lost them. I need to tell you that I generally don't lose my keys. I might lose my mind every other day...but my keys are usually on my radar.
Back to my story.
I had even walked out to my car-digging in the bottom of my purse. I usually keep them in a old china bowl on top of my bookshelf by the front door. If I by chance leave them lying around, Josiah puts them up for me.
He knows he's got to keep his mama in line.
The keys weren't there so I figured I had tossed them in my purse.
You can guess the rest of the story.
For the next 15 minutes The Studly Muffin, Josiah and I tore the house apart looking for my elusive keys. I frantically texted my friend....I'm running late. Can't find my keys.
We looked in the library bag, the nature study bag, the laundry (which was feat in itself), the trash...I even dug around in my already packed suitcase.
No keys. Nowhere.
We take a break from my key finding catastrophe to talk about The Muffin's Keys.
Seriously. The Muffin has more keys on his key ring than humanly possible. I mean really. He has been like that our whole married life. I know he has to have keys for both cars (and for my car the unlock key), the apartment building key, our apartment key, the mailbox key and the church keys.
But the mystery is....Where did all those other keys come from?
I don't think he knows. Does he still have the key to the old Grand Am we traded in when Josiah was 2? Probably.
Every time I need his keys to do something I find myself spending at least 5 minutes going through one by one...blindly. I can't even recognize the key to my own car!
I don't think it's the Muffin who suffers from this key hoarding obsession. My Dad is possibly the king of the key collecting. True Story.
Shew. I'm reeling this rabbit trail back in and getting back to my point.
I didn't find my keys that day. I was eventually rescued by friends and I headed off to the women's retreat. I had a wonderful time of refreshing (just in case you wanted to know). Let's just say I did some lounging in my fuzzy socks and stretchy pants at 2:30 in the afternoon!
There was even chocolate involved.
It wasn't until Tuesday of this week that I found my keys. Remember that old china bowl I talked about? The one I keep my keys in?
Well. It rests upon 3 or 4 old books. I think there is an old hymnal. A children's book...maybe an old book of phrases.
Anyhoo. I moved the books aside to dust and lo and behold! My keys were lying behind the books. Not an inch from where I keep them.
Don't ask me why none of us thought to look. And don't ask my why I chose that particular day to dust. In fact, don't even ask me how long it's been since I've dusted.
I am establishing a "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" policy on chores right now.
The whole episode got me thinking about how those other missing things in life.
Peace. Hope. Faith. Joy....
I don't know about you, but I often find myself "missing" those very promises of God.
The thing is that they aren't in hiding. They aren't found in some mysterious corner of the universe.
They are simply found in the presence of God.
It is my choice to remain distant. Instead of spending time with God. Instead of trusting in His promises, I choose to frantically search for those things on my own time. In my own terms. In my own way.
I have a portion of this passage plastered on the wall above my television (one of those vinyl clingy things). You would think that I would wake up with this promise on my lips.
Isaiah 40:29-31 (NKJV)
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
And that I can finally catch up on some laundry.
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