Losing keys

Somewhere between her door--which she locked--and work, Shannon lost her keys.

Somewhere adrift in the transit system of the greater Boston metro area, Shannon's keys have fallen.

They could be under something, behind something, in a dank and dusty concrete trench, or jammed into a tight corner.  Perhaps they fell down among the rails and have been thundered over by many trains.

Maybe they are lying on the seat of a train. Maybe someone brushed them to the floor and sat down.

They might have fallen into someone's hands.

Just yesterday, I was walking with a friend.  We passed a house in her neighborhood, and she told me a story:

One day, my friend was out walking and noticed that the front door of this house had keys stuck in the deadbolt, just hanging there.  She went up on the porch and rang the doorbell, to let the people know, but nobody answered the door.

My friend went home and told her husband, who asked her, "So did you just leave them there?"  After talking to him, she returned to the house to see whether the keys still hung from the door.  The keys were still there, and the people were still gone.  Conflicted, she pulled the keys out and took them home.

The next morning, she stopped over again, trying to return the keys, but still nobody was at the house.  Finally, after about a day and a half, my friend was able to find someone at home in the house, a lady.  The lady was aghast to realize what had happened, but very thankful to have her keys back.

My friend is a kind, loving, honest, responsible person.

Perhaps a kind, loving, honest, responsible person will find Shannon's keys and turn them in to a lost and found.

Perhaps Shannon's keys will be kicked around the floor of a train car all day, and at the end of the day a transit employee will find them and turn them in.

It could be that someone will pick up Shannon's keys, meaning to turn them in. . .  and then forget to, proceeding to carry them around in the bottom of her bag for the next three months.

Perhaps someone will pick them up and toss them into the trash.  This is probably not very likely.

It is possible that a bad person will find them, a thug or a cat burglar or even a serial killer.  Obviously, this would be the worst case scenario, but even were it to happen, God is still in control.  God is always in control.  Also, I do not think that the keys have identifying information on them.

Here's the truth: God knows where those keys are.  God knew when they fell, and He saw where they landed.  He can turn a specific person's eye to notice them, or not to notice them; He can spur a particular heart of His choice to pick them up.

The end of this story has not been written.  It could be that Shannon's keys are simply gone forever, or it could be that God has a different plan, a divine plan, an unstoppable plan.

We will have to wait and see what the Lord will do.

...casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

~1 Peter 5:7 ESV 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. 

The Lord is at hand; 

do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything by prayer and supplication 

with thanksgiving 

let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:4-7 ESV 

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

And not one of them is forgotten before God.

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

~Luke 12:6-7 ESV

Jesus looked at them and said,  

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. 

For all things are possible with God.”

~Mark 10:27 ESV      

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    He will keep your life. 

The Lord will keep your going out

and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore. 

~Psalm 121:7-8 ESV 

What then shall we say to these things? 

If God is for us, who can be against us?   

He who did not spare His own Son 

but gave Him up for us all, 

how will He not also with Him 

graciously give us all things?

~Romans 8:31-32 ESV 

It will be okay.