About three months ago, we attended the YMCA Fall Festival with our friends the Teacheys and the Arburgs. Our kids had the best time all dressed up for Halloween as an "Individual Band Member" and "The Little Majorette". For the two hours we were there, someone was outside breaking into my car and decides to steal my purse. Yes, you are probably wondering why I left my purse in my car in the front seat for everyone to see. Well, I was raised in a family where we did not lock our doors to our house unless it was time for bed and my parents leave their keys in the car.. in the drive way... unlocked. So safety precautions are not ingrained in me! My husband has changed a lot of this, but you "can't teach an old dog new tricks". So anyway... and my wallet was in my purse! So, after the PA system announced for us to come to the front to tell us our car had been broken into, we were escorted to the administrative office to cancel all of our credit cards. This incident caused my husband a lot of frustration over the next couple months. He spent many lunch brakes on the phone with our bank!
So, now I make sure I never leave my wallet in my car. I might leave my purse, but I always leave it in the middle console so no perpetrators can see it! Well, this proposes another problem. I often only take my wallet in places with my two kids, so I don't have so much to carry. So, now I am notorious for LOSING my wallet. I leave it on the "sign in table" at the YMCA. I leave it on the floor of the drug store, because I am chasing a 13 month old down the aisle. I leave it on the benches in the "hospital parking deck elevator waiting area." Well, this takes me to Tuesday morning at Piedmont Pediatrics.
Henry needed to have his iron checked and our Lifeline Medical Form needed to be signed. After finding out that Henry is no longer anemic from drinking too much milk and his heart beat sounded normal, we start heading back to our car. (Two months ago, our pediatrician told us Henry's heart beat sounded irregular, so she did an iron test. His red blood cell count was low, so she told Henry to not drink as much milk and give him an iron supplement.Well, it worked! This was not an easy task restricting his milk intact. I think he was drinking about 40 ounces a day instead of the preferred 20 ounces a day.)
It was a long walk with two young kids. Mary Taylor insisted on walking most of the way, so she could follow her big brother! Once we got out of the elevator, there was a waiting area before you walk into the parking deck, so I decided to let them run around to burn off some steam. Henry ran around in circles while Mary Taylor tried to catch him. This was a really fun five minutes! It was just nice to stop and enjoy my kids during a busy day of trying to mark things off my list.
We got to the car and I buckled them in. We drove around the seven circles to get to the bottom of the parking deck and approached the parking deck toll worker. As soon as I started looking for my wallet, I realized that it was not there. Oh great! (I might have said another word) So the lady told me that I could not go back, I had to go forward. She let me through and told me to come back through. (I guess she meant when I found my wallet.) Henry is asking me, "What is wrong mommy?" I am so frustrated at this point. All I can think about is how mad Dee is going to be when he has to deal with everything all over again. So in the midst of my tense and stressed state, I heard the Holy Spirit say, 'Trust me.' But, I thought, 'But my wallet is not here, what am I going to do? How can God help right now? My husband is going to kill me!' So despite what I felt, I said out loud, "Henry we need to pray that Jesus will help us to find our wallet." I was still a complete wreck and very frustrated. I tried to keep saying in my head, 'I trust you, I trust you,' (even though I really did not).
So, I pulled up to the front doors of the hospital and just locked my kids in the car. Yes, this is illegal! I ran up to the 4th floor of the building where our pediatrician's office is and asked them if they had seen a colorful wallet. No one had seen anything. As I left their office running to the elevator, I thought, 'Now what am I going to do?.... OK... God, I am trusting you.' It was like a battle in my mind.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7:15-20)
I ran to the car and drove back into the parking deck, up and around several circles to the spot where we enjoyed our peaceful time in the elevator waiting area. My wallet was not there either! At this point, I knew someone had stolen it and I would never see it again! But, still having a little faith, I parked my car again and went back to the pediatricians office. The minute I walk in the door, I heard one of the secretaries say, "DeBard..a..lam". 'Oh, that is my name...kind of.' Out loud I say, "They have my wallet!" It was the security officer calling about my wallet! I said out loud to everyone, "Thank you Jesus!" So the secretary handed me the phone so the security officer could direct me to his office to retrieve my wallet. As, we got on the elevator, Henry and I prayed and thanked God for helping us find our wallet. Once we got my wallet back, the security officer said, someone found it in the bathroom. I know I never went to the bathroom, but who knows. All that matters is they were honest and brought it to the right hands!
Things don't always have happy endings if you try to trust Jesus, but I am not complaining. I know for one thing, I did not do a good job of trusting him at all in this situation. I tried to listen to the Holy Spirit, but I was still extremely stressed until I found my wallet. But in past situations, I would not have even given Jesus a thought during a stressful time of trying to find my wallet or my phone, or my keys, etc... I would have tried to find it completely on my own. This situation was very encouraging to me that God is changing me and making me more like him, even if it is a tiny bit! I am so thankful that the sanctification process is not up to me!
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
