Being focused on a problem can cause us to be insensitive. In 2019, I fell into this trap. My husband and I had two of our grandchildren (ages 6 and 5) over for a few days. On their final day, the kids and I ran a few errands together. (Tom was away at a conference with our son, that day.) Our first stop was the gas station. I usually put my credit card in my wallet while the gas is pumping, but this particular time I stuck it in my pocket while washing the windows. We then went to the bank and to the park.
Finally, I took them out to lunch. When I went to pay for it, I discovered that my credit card was missing. Thankfully, I had another one. The kids and I prayed that I’d find my card and I should have left it in the Lord’s hands at that point. We’d had a wonderful 3 days together and a delightful time at lunch. But now my mind was distracted by the loss of the credit card. I wanted to get them quickly home in order to return to the places I might have lost it or to call and cancel the card.
As a result, I spent little time socializing with the rest of their family. When I was about five minutes from their house, on my way back home, I suddenly realized I hadn’t even hugged the kids good-by! When I got home, I sent a text message to my daughter asking her to apologize to the kids for me and tell them God answered our prayers. I also shared the lesson I’d learned. She wrote back saying that they were sad when I just disappeared without saying good-by, but she appreciated what I’d learned.
I did find my card (it had fallen out of my pocket at home) and I learned a valuable lesson. Trust God with my problems and keep focused on the moment at hand!
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Thank you for sharing.