Losing Things

Losing Things

No one likes to lose things. Toys, tools or remote controls, losing them can be quite painful or at the very least, particularly irritating. My four-almost-five-year-old son is espeically sensative to losing things.

Case and point: Tonight we were getting ready for bed a little later than usual (already the scene is set for a moment of lasting drama!). As we made the dauntingly long walk down the 6 feet of hallway to his room, he suddenly remembers that he wants a particular toy he hasn't seen in several hours. The problem is, the house has been packed with guests and finding the toy is no easy task. In fact, it proves impossible and after several minutes of searching all the "usual" places (behind the garbage can, in his sister's underwear drawer and all around the deck) said ninety nine cent toy could not be found. Suddenly my son emits a sound similar to that of a police siren. Ahhh, the true agonies of life.

Of course the problem with using your children as examples of something shameful is that more-often-than-not they come by their traits quite honestly. Ouch.

I was probably 7 or 8 years old, not much older than my son now. I wore a cowboy hat everywhere. I loved that hat. It was a great hat, one that I think I actually wore to bed a few times, a fact verified by the mishapen top that made it look more like a football helmet than a cowboy hat. I bring to your recall that I have brothers 7 & 9 years older than me and on this particular day it was my eldest brother who partook in my pain. He was actually being a good big brother when the "incident" happened. He and a friend were taking turns spinning me in the air by one hand and one foot when suddenly my hat went airborn and left my head.

I still see it today in slow motion. As I completed a revolution 3-4 feet off the ground, I can picture my precious hat floating through the air and heading towards the ground. But to my great dismay the hat didn't land on the ground. It actually landed in a ditch full of water. My brother tells this story with great distortion, but let it be said that windows were broken throughout the neighborhood and dogs were barking like mad when, simultaneously, the hat hit the water and my voice released a shrill cry! My hat was lost. Ahhh, the true agonies of life.

As we get older of course, losing things isn't any less traumatic especially since they usually are more expensive. Jewelry, car keys, wallets, children etc... These things are not easily and/or cheaply replaced. Losing things stinks.

Thankfully there are things in life we can't lose. The best of which is a relationship with our God and Creator. Once we step out in faith and embrace what HE freely gives us, there is nothing we can do that can make that relationship somehow disappear. We can't walk away and leave it on a park bench. We can't lose it on an aisle at the grocery store. We can't make a choice about our direction in life and leave that relationship like dumped garbage waiting to be picked up. Sure, we can lose the benefit of that relationship and we can, for a while, forget about the joy, but nothing can ever take the thing itself. Forever we remain HIS and HE remains ours.

I've lost a lot of things in my life, but I've never lost my God because HE won't lose me. Now that's a good life -- a life lived between the sermons.

Now, has anyone seen my car keys....