Goin Down!

The Way It Went Down

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

So this is the way it went down early Sunday morn.

“Do you know the name of a good locksmith?” I frantically messaged my friend and neighbor.

“Look in the yellow pages; there are some good ones listed,” she quickly replied.

Hurriedly, I paged through them. Cheapest Unlocks caught  my eye and I punched in the number. The voice on the other end sounded vaguely familiar.

“Are you the guy who gives out the ‘Jesus loves you’ pens?”

“Something like that,” he modestly answered reconfirming my suspicions that I’d used his services two years back.

In the mean time, what does one do when awaiting a locksmith to come open your vehicle when you are 99% sure the keys are not in the vehicle he is coming to unlock?

To begin with, I flashed back to where my steps had taken me the evening before.  Taking out the trash, sorting items boxed in the garage, walking amidst the fall foliage, and folding towels fresh from the dryer as well as packing suitcases came to mind within a ten second time frame. 

Like a dog digging for a treasure that had been lost, I emptied my purse no less than three times. I rummaged through each suitcase, sorted the bags of trash, floated to the laundry room twice, and checked down the couch cushions. Wading through the foliage in hopes of seeing metal flash in the sunlight, I came up empty as my case appeared hopeless. I’d locked the doors of the car after I was out of it… is was what I thought, but went ahead and swiped the moisture off each window peering inside to make sure I hadn’t dropped them somewhere within.

Now in full blown panic mode, I called my husband and left a message…okay, truth be told, I left several. Although 2 ½ hours away, I knew he’d come on a moment’s notice to bring down the second set of keys if need be. I just knew I could count on him.

“I always put them in the same spot!” I pleaded my case to the locksmith who had just arrived.

“That same spot must have moved!” He chided in good humor.

“Before we start, I just gotta tell you, I am almost certain those keys are not in that car. Can we pray?” We did, emphasizing that they would be found within the next few minutes as the time was running out on a promise I needed to keep within the hour. Suddenly, the small zippered pouch on the side panel of my purse came to mind. As I looked, way down deep, there were the keys!

“Same spot moved!” he grinned pulling out a couple of specialty pens to complete the deal.

They once were lost, but now are found.  As I thought about what had just taken place, it was a lesson that has played out in my life more so than I’d care to remember. First, I panic. Then, I look in all of the wrong places. Finally, I pray. And, throughout it all, what I thought was a problem, wasn’t a problem at all. What I thought was lost, wasn’t lost at all. It was just tucked away for safe keeping until…until His perfect timing. Help me to move on to a new lesson Lord. I can’t do this, but You can. Thank You for finding my keys yet once again!  Amen.