Deja Oops: A Tale of Mishaps Turned Miracles
Do you ever experience situations where God presents you with opportunities (a.k.a., tests) in the areas of trust and faith and you feel that you fall short? I sure do! I sometimes allow anxiety, fear or frustration to take hold before looking to the Lord for guidance. Despite witnessing growth in myself, the old pattern resurfaces more frequently than I’d care to admit. I’m grateful that he continues to work with me and that he does convict me when stray down the wrong path. I’m also thankful that, through the healing blood of Christ, I can approach him as my Father, seeking forgiveness and he will indeed forgive me. Because…
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)
We all have different triggers or weaknesses. Sometimes it’s a health thing that gets me going. Or too many little annoyances have tipped the scales all at once – maybe on a day where I’m already fighting a headache. Perhaps something triggers a memory of a painful or difficult situation from my past that I don’t want to experience again and, in trying to protect myself from future pain, I make choices that are self-centered and unloving to others. Being an admitted control freak is tough because in these situations – in ALL situations, actually – I’m not the one in control. God is.
In these instances, I believe He is guiding me to hand over the reins on the aspects of life that are beyond my grasp. The irony lies in my tendency to take my eyes off of Him when my feet are to the fire and then losing my footing as I try to rely on my own capabilities.
This creates an opportunity for Satan to exploit my weaknesses and I let anxiety get the best of me. Or I get all temperamental and snarky with those undeserving of my frustration rather than reflecting Christ’s love to them. Afterward, I experience God’s conviction.
Anyone else feel this struggle?
So, back to those “opportunities” I believe God offers me – little by little – to increase my trust in him. Perhaps an alternative title here would be “Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in Groundhog Day?” I can laugh about it all now. And while my experience here isn’t on par with the miracles witnessed in the Bible, I firmly believe God’s hand was at work in every aspect.
Establishing the Scene
I ran to our local larger grocery story – the one I only occasionally visit because, while it is a lovely place, it is also much more expensive. They do run a few daily deals and I needed things that were on special. Gotta’ save a buck!
Off I went, wrist wallet and phone in hand and likely too many things on my mind. I arrived at the store and grabbed a hand basket – my strategy to keep from buying too many of their spendy offerings – and began walking through the produce section.
Hold on!
One of the items I planned to purchase on sale was a 24-pack of pop. Yes, we older folks in Iowa call it “pop”. The younger generation, like my teenager, more often refer to it as “soda” and they look at me weird for not doing the same. I’ve heard it’s even called “coke” in parts of the South. Regardless of the name, the issue was clear: no pop/soda/coke options in the 24-pack size would comfortably fit in the hand basket. Heading back to the door, I quickly exchanged it for the smallest push cart, and returned it to its stack.
I continued on with my shopping, ultimately passing on the 24-pack because they didn’t have my preferred guilty pleasure – Mt. Dew with real sugar – on their shelves. As a side note. I drink very little pop and only buy it for large family gatherings or when I have a severe migraine. In this case, it was intended for our upcoming Thanksgiving get-together: the real sugar version just tastes so much better than its high fructose counterpart!
Getting back to the story…
I hastily completed my errand and was at the checkout counter preparing to pay. I reached down to grab the wrist wallet that should have been in the cart – should have been, but wasn’t. In an instant, I became “that person”. You know who I mean – the one who inadvertently holds up the line with the unexpected issue.
Thankfully, I had my phone in my hand because my grocery list was on it. But where was my wallet? Was it still in the car? And then it hit me – I must have left it in the hand basket that I exchanged when I first entered the store.
Wearing what I’m certain was a deer-in-the-headlights expression, I excused myself from the checkout lane (it’s all sort of an embarrassing blur). I mumbled something about “lost my wallet…hand basket…will return”. The yet-to-be-paid-for groceries lay momentarily abandoned on the conveyor belt. I sprinted to the basket stack only to find no sign of the wallet. I checked the other stack just in case I’d forgotten which one I returned the basket to. Still no wallet.
Mind going blank. Panic setting in…
Not only did I need to settle the bill for the groceries but, on top of that, my car key fob was attached to the missing wallet. And this was the only key fob we have for that vehicle! Thoughts raced through my mind: ”Cancel credit cards, bank card, replace driver’s license, insurance cards.” I could feel the unwelcome surge of adrenaline.
As I was walking back to the register it dawned on me – Apple Pay! Admittedly, I rarely use it except for the occasional Starbucks treat. Thankfully, the store did support Apple Pay and I was able to move my groceries out of the way so the next customer in line could proceed with their purchase. It may not have been on my preferred card, but at least the groceries were officially mine.
But what to do now?
There I stood, looking quite lost, with my small push cart full of groceries and nowhere to go. Mind you, I live only 2.5 miles from the store – a quick drive – but not what would make for an enjoyable walk with bags in tow. As I approached the customer service counter, hoping against hope that someone turned in the wallet, my thoughts shifted to my next step. Contemplating the possibility of calling an Uber because my husband was in a different part of the city, I dialed him up just to fill him in. Anxiety was taking control and the tension and frustration in my voice was obvious to those around me.
You know what I forgot to do? Pray. That’s what made me sad when I reflected on the situation. I didn’t completely crumble under the pressure. But in navigating on the fly, I was once again turning to myself first. I missed the opportunity to seek guidance from the Lord in the areas of trust and faith and to hand things over to him in prayer.
I reached the counter and explained my predicament. The sympathetic young man smiled and said, “Does your wallet have a handle?” Indeed, it does! He walked over and whispered something to the store security guard. After confirming my identity, the guard retrieved my wallet from the safe, complete with car keys and content intact. Praise God! He provides!
I dialed my husband again. False alarm – whew! And I headed home…but that’s not the end of the story.
Establishing the Scene – Deja Oops
The initial mishap occurred on Sunday. By Monday, the new sale was posted online and in it was an offer for 12-packs of Pepsi products. Given that I’d seen my preferred Dew in that size just the day before, and with eggs now priced at only $.99/dozen, how could I resist returning? After all, it’s just 2.5 miles away!
This time I took extra care to ensure my wallet was securely in the cart. By the time I reached the checkout with my half-dozen items (because other things inevitably jump in), I was feeling quite successful. I paid for my groceries and wheeled the cart out to my car.
As I reached for my key fob to open the trunk, my heart sank. It was missing! I stood there in stunned silence. Here I was, standing by my car – the car I couldn’t load with groceries or drive home without the key fob.
What??
How could this happen again? Was it a dream? It felt eerily similar to the day before. Was I stuck in a Groundhog Day loop?
Despite once again forgetting to pray first, I did sense the need to stay calm and work through the situation – perhaps a small amount of growth. With no idea where the key fob slipped away, I retraced my steps through the parking lot and back into the store, approaching the same customer service counter I had visited just the day before.
A different person was working this time. I asked, “Can I leave my cart here for a few minutes?” She seemed concerned and I thought the answer was going to be a firm no. “I need to look for my car key. It detached from my wallet somewhere in here and I can’t drive anywhere.” (Once again, my mind was already contemplating the Uber.)
Then she smiled and asked, “What kind of car do you drive?”
“Nissan”, I replied, “with scotch tape on the key fob”.
She handed me the key.
God is indeed in control. He orchestrates situations to teach and grow us in our trust and faith. Even if I hadn’t recovered the wallet or the keys, God still would be in control. He has a purpose for all he does – for his glory and our good. Yet, God cares and he is merciful. In this instance, He was watching out for me when I wasn’t doing a great job on my own.
The Moral of the Story
Do not be anxious. Instead, pray. Seek the Lord. He knows what we need. He will provide!
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Matthew 6:25-33)
