That's Mine! You Bring that Right Back![/caption]Let me finish my story that I started on yesterday. At any rate, we had been invited to dinner at a local eating establishment by one of the members and his wife. We went, had an enjoyable meal and fellowship together and left the restaurant replete. When we got to the car I went to look in the black bag for my iPad so I could play a quick game of one of my favorite free downloads. I could not find it, so I looked a little harder. Then I realized that it just was not there! My husband, noticing my frantic searching, said to me, “You must have left it in the seat in the building.” (I let him get away with that statement, although I knew that I had not left it anywhere. He was the one that picked up my stuff and my iPad from the seat.)
Where Is It?
So there we went, heading back to the building. Because I was so concerned about getting to my iPad, it seemed to me that that man drove 20 mph all the way to the building! I know that he did not, that's just how it seemed to me. I told him at one point that maybe he ought to let me drive. He just looked at me as if I had two heads and kept on driving. My stomach was in knots by this time.
Well, we got to the building, he got out of the car and went inside to retrieve my iPad. He stayed so long that the first frisson of alarm started to creep up my spine. I unbuckled my seatbelt and was getting out of the car when he exited the building. He had a puzzled and funny look on his face and was shaking his head from side to side.
Jumped out of the car and went into the building, my body starting to become cold and methodically calm. I tend to do that when the situation has become dire, only to go to pieces when the crisis is over. (I have been told that that is the beginning of shock; I wouldn't know, as I'm not a medical professional.) But, we looked the building over, high and low, the restrooms, the basement, etc.… No iPad! I kept thinking, “Where is my iPad? It has to be here. It can't have just up and walked off!”
Drat and Double Drat!
By my being a poetess/writer, to say that I was devastated by the loss of my iPad, does not even begin to cover the situation. The first emotion I experienced was disbelief, then shock, followed by hurt/pain and lastly anger. I, who pride myself on being flexible and leveled-headed, wanted that person "caught and caught right now!"
Calmed down and then started the notification process that you have to go through when something is lost or stolen. Thankfully, I had engaged a numeric code for my iPad, so that gave me some measure of satisfaction, but not much. Not much at all, I tell you.
Proof Is in the Pudding
I had been telling someone the day before the theft, that one of my favorite scriptures is, Romans 8:28. I didn't know just how soon I was going to be thrust into a situation to show just how much I believed that scripture. Well, that Scripture got a workout that week because I kept repeating it to myself. I kept telling myself that, “All things work together for good for those that love the Lord.” So to keep from acting like I felt like acting, I started praying and here is the prayer I uttered:
Now LORD, I don't know how YOU are going to work this out, but I give over to YOUR will for my life Lord. I ask YOU to help me through this day and all subsequent days and make me be able to graciously accept and work through the adverse things that may happen. Please make my faith grow by leaps and bounds as I learn to depend on YOU. Prosper my way so that I may use all situations to your glory. In your name I pray. Amen.
That is the prayer that I prayed. I also added a prayer for forgiveness for what I thought about the thief. (Nope, can't tell you that. That is between the Lord and me. Besides, I have gotten forgiveness for that thought.) Then I stepped on.
Here's What I Learned
If you pray a similar prayer during your adverse times, you will find that HE gradually works things out. And things won't bother you the way they used to. You will be able to find that joy, that the adversary tried to steal from you. People will start to come up to you and say things like, "How do you stay so calm in situations like this?" etc.
My Positive Reactions
Then, my friend, you will realize what it feels like to have other people watching you and have their faith grow by judging your reaction to things! You might think, “What! Don't watch me! I'm just trying to make it myself!” No, dear friend, you have become a person to emulate. Yes, that is an awesome responsibility, isn't it? Uhm-hu-m-m, but you will get joy and added strength in knowing that your troubles and botherations have, not only helped you in your relationship with the Lord, but have helped someone else, as well.
In Conclusion
Learn the lesson that I have learned regarding spiritual thievery, which is, "Though the adversary and adverse times might try periodically to steal your joy, choose to not allow it to happen." Take consolation from Romans 8:31 and Romans 8:28. Maintain your joy, and solidify your example to others, through your faith in God. And you my brother and my sister, step on. Remember, even when you don't see how or understand why, you have a Father Who loves you and works all things out for your good.
Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,
Alma L. Carr-Jones
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