There's one reliable indicator in my life that alerts me when I'm overextending myself: I start to misplace things. It happened this past Friday when I couldn't find the key chain that holds my office key and flash drive.
When I realized it was missing, I retraced my steps as thoroughly as possible. (I've lived this cycle before: the losing of items, the painful realization of loss, and the inevitable frantic searching that follows.) I emptied my work bag and purse, revisited the five classrooms where I teach, checked various lost-and-found repositories on campus, scoured my house, rummaged through jacket pockets, and searched the crevices in both our car and van. And intermittently I prayed, "Lord, please help me find this key chain."
Nothing.
Jokingly, I posted a desperate Facebook probe asking friends where they'd be hiding if they were my key chain. I received helpful offers, like colleagues who volunteered to check my office and reminded me to ask custodians and tech workers in campus buildings. Other friends provided funny suggestions: Girl, they're always under the couch! Or, Look in your refrigerator. Or, They'll be in the last place you look, so look there first.
But they weren't under the couch, or in my refrigerator, or in any of the places I searched, no matter the sequence.
One other Facebook friend replied, "For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; and nothing hid that shall not be known. (Matthew 10:26)."
That's when I started to pray more earnestly in alignment with scripture. "Lord, you know all and see all. You know the exact location of this key chain. I've exhausted every option, and I ask you to bring this key chain into the hands of someone who will return it."
That's all. I said amen, and then for the first time since I had realized the key chain was missing, I relaxed. Several minutes later, I checked my email and saw a new message. Its subject line immediately jumped out: "Found Key and Flash Drive."
You don't say.
After all, the Lord cares about the things that matters to us, even if it's as small as a key chain. Even more, he delights in finding what is lost.
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