It started when Keith told me he couldnt stay home as he usually does on a Wednesday to see Ben off to school. I have to be in to work early on a Wed. He usually goes into the office a bit later - but not today. So I had to hastily arrange to drop Ben off at a friends house before school. Ben wasnt wildly happy about the last minute change of plans and was dragging his feet getting ready. I did a bit of chivvying and finally got him into the car when I realised I didn't have the car keys. Which had been in my hand five minutes previously. They had vanished. Completely.I turned the house upside down and couldn't find them even though I knew they were there somewhere. I was getting frantic cos I knew Id be late for work. The roads are dug up and closed so there's a diversion which takes an extra ten minutes to negotiate as it is. Aaarrrrgh. I was getting upset. Which isn't like me - but it was all going pear shaped. Ben got out of the car to help me look for the keys. And he reminded me that I have a spare car key. Bless him. Yes , I do! Brilliant.
Got the spare car key. Decided that Id just have to go to work and leave the house unlocked ( house key and car keys on same ring) Jumped in to start the car..... nothing. That horrible sound of dead battery. I couldn't believe it!
Sent Ben off to school. He was worrying about me because I was upset and agitated and cross that I couldn't find the keys. I went back into the house thinking that if I was going to be at home all day I had better search every inch of the house to find the keys. And guess what? They were on the kitchen table right in front of me. I swear to you I had looked under and over every item on the kitchen table four or five times...... How does that happen??? Hidden in plain sight. Bizzare.
By this time I was so late - but I went back to try the car again and because I was using the proper key was able to disengage the immobliser - car leaped into life and off I went. Was late for everything for the rest of the morning. But at least I got there and didn't disappoint the thirty odd kids who look forward to me coming to see them every week.
On the way home I was pondering the events of this morning. Its always tempting to blame that sort of stuff on enemy activity. It certainly felt as though someone was deliberately sabotaging my attempts to get to work today. A succession of really annoying and unplanned events within the space of an hour or so completely robbed me of any sense of peace and perspective. But perhaps it was God who hid my keys. Maybe I needed to be delayed today. For some reason I dont understand. I know Ben was praying for me on the way to school - and that in those few minutes I found the keys and was able to get going. So maybe the whole episode was engineered by God to show Ben that his prayers are powerful and effective. ( I prayed as soon as I realised the keys werent there - my prayers obviously dont pack as much of a punch :-) )
It strikes me that we live in the tension of not knowing alot of the time. Things happen ( or dont happen) and we can only guess at the reasons why. We are in a battle , we definitely have an enemy who is out to steal and lie and ultimately kill us. But our God is greater. We are in His hands. Under the shadow of His wings. He turns what the enemy means for evil into good. All things work together for the good.......
Sometimes it is hard to see how the bereavement or the illness or the divorce or the redundancy can possibly be anything other than negative. It is hard to believe that God can bring a silver lining out of the clouds. Especially when the clouds have been glowering over us for months or years. But He can. And He does. We have to be looking up to see the silver and focus on the lining rather than the clouds.
Tomorrow is another day.
I wonder where I put my keys.
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