“When I’m afraid, I put my trust in you Lord." ~ Psalm
56:3
Today was not her day! Mae had lost her wallet. “No worries, it’s around the house somewhere”
she said to herself.
With that, Mae went to all the typical wallet “hiding” spots
- her jacket, office, dirty laundry and even the kid’s toy box. Still nowhere to be found. As she remembered using it the night before,
there weren’t many options for where it could be.
Usually Mae was a positive person, but a feeling of terror
started to well up in the pit of her stomach. Like most people, she carried her life in her
wallet: family photos, ID cards, Driver’s License, pre-paid gift cards, credit
and debit cards and of course cash - over $300.
Assuming the worse, beads of sweat formed on Mae’s
forehead. Her mind raced. She ransacked the house, both cars, and scowered
the yard - twice. Nothing!
She even searched less probable locations: places where her wallet
probably shouldn’t be, but could be.
Maybe she’d been interrupted and left it near a door, in the kitchen, or
in the bathroom. No luck. Nada!
The longer her wallet remained missing, panic tightened its
paralyzing grip. Covered in sweat, on
the verge of hyperventilation, Mae shook with anxiety. What now?!?
She picked up a rosary and touched the crucifix. To her, the 1,200 year-old ritual was a form
of both prayer and meditation – just what she needed to calm her emotions. She managed several slow, deep breaths. “Hail Mary,” she began, knowing firsthand the
power of the prayers said upon these simple beads. She ended with the customary “Hail Holy
Queen.”
Just before picking up the phone to cancel her bank and
credit cards, the doorbell rang. It was
the homeless guy who hung out down the block. Sun-weathered cheeks spilled into a distinct
beard: straw-like, unkempt and spittle flecked. He smiled through yellow teeth.
Gnarled fingers held up Mae’s driver’s license. “I recognized your picture,” he said. You’re one of the few people who’s given me
loose change and leftovers. This was my
opportunity to return the favor.” He
handed her the wallet with everything intact, including $322 in cash.
The relief was so great Mae went weak at the knees, not
knowing whether to laugh or cry. Of course
he got a nice tip.
I’m not saying that God deliberately caused Mae to lose her
wallet but I’m quite sure that He uses predicaments like this to teach us
valuable lessons. We’ve all had plenty
of experiences like this over the years, but few have learned to live at peace
when they happen. Joy can rule in our
hearts in every situation when our confidence is in the Lord and not in our
possessions!
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death.” Amen
