Today, for half an hour, my keys disappeared.
It happened as we roamed the aisles of Target - where, incidentally, my keys have disappeared on at least one other occasion.
The kids and I spent a tense period of time circling our previous route through the store , unable to locate the keys' whereabouts. And when we finally found them, they were nowhere akin to where I'd suspected. They lay nestled comfortably in the plastic bag I'd left at the Customer Service counter along with my latest returned item. They looked, through the opaque veil of the white bag, not quite smug, but ... content. It must have been a relief for an object so necessary, so daily thought of, to spend a few moments in total nirvana-like anonymity.
That quest for peace is probably what drives Lucy, our family's kitten, to dash for the open door each time she sees it. Getting lost in this neighborhood would possibly mean a loss of her life as well, but she seems hell-bent to risk it for the possible gain of a few moments of freedom.
Being lost ... and being free. Somehow, I think they're connected. Who says not knowing your own location, not knowing if others know your location, is really such a bad thing after all? Who says that even a feeling of complete and hopeless abandonment might not, in the end, inspire gratitude for the good that was gained in that void?
In truth, I believe that noo one who is lost cannot be refound. Reminding myself of this belief lends a new freedom to my current state. Because unlike my keys, my exact location cannot be unknown to every being with which I'm connected. There is One who has never misplaced me, who might have placed me right here for a purpose beyond my own sight.
It happened as we roamed the aisles of Target - where, incidentally, my keys have disappeared on at least one other occasion.
The kids and I spent a tense period of time circling our previous route through the store , unable to locate the keys' whereabouts. And when we finally found them, they were nowhere akin to where I'd suspected. They lay nestled comfortably in the plastic bag I'd left at the Customer Service counter along with my latest returned item. They looked, through the opaque veil of the white bag, not quite smug, but ... content. It must have been a relief for an object so necessary, so daily thought of, to spend a few moments in total nirvana-like anonymity.
That quest for peace is probably what drives Lucy, our family's kitten, to dash for the open door each time she sees it. Getting lost in this neighborhood would possibly mean a loss of her life as well, but she seems hell-bent to risk it for the possible gain of a few moments of freedom.
Being lost ... and being free. Somehow, I think they're connected. Who says not knowing your own location, not knowing if others know your location, is really such a bad thing after all? Who says that even a feeling of complete and hopeless abandonment might not, in the end, inspire gratitude for the good that was gained in that void?
In truth, I believe that noo one who is lost cannot be refound. Reminding myself of this belief lends a new freedom to my current state. Because unlike my keys, my exact location cannot be unknown to every being with which I'm connected. There is One who has never misplaced me, who might have placed me right here for a purpose beyond my own sight.
And if that is the case - whether I'm stocking up on future Good for my life or for others' - I'm perfectly happy to find rest in my lost-ness. To repose, hidden for a while by God's grace and design, and to emerge as made new whenever He chooses to find me.
And in the mean time ... I'll be humming a few lines from this song (especially that highlighted one in the middle):
He sees you down by the water line
Knows what you're thinking all the time
He sees the rising of the waves
When the tide starts rolling in
He lets you know it's gonna be o.k.
He sees you dancing in the moonlight
His arms around you hold ya tight
And if those clouds should start to break
He'll be standing out in the rain with you
And though it's hard to believe
He believes in you
God is watching over you
As always
You are loved
Whatever you go through
He's right beside you
God is watching over you
As always
And if you think He'll ever leave you
You better think again
Painted in the sky a rainbow to remind you
Nothing that is broken
Cannot be made new
He knows when ya feel so far away
He's gonna keep the night light on
He's waiting there to receive you
You are loved
Wherever you go
Through fire, through wind and through rain
Through fire, through wind and through rain
Yesterday, today and tomorrow the same
Nothing here can take this love
Nothing you could do will break this love
Climb a tree, gonna reach so high
Swing low sweet chariot
It's time to fly
He sees you down by the water line
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