When Things Get Out of Order

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp and search carefully until she finds it.” – Luke 15: 8

“Oh my Lord! I dropped my earring.” It was the night of prom 1993. My husband and I had only been dating a few weeks. Normally losing an earring would have been no big deal, but this wasn’t just any earring, it was his mom’s. Though I didn’t think she would be upset, I still wanted to return the earrings exactly the way she had lent them to me.

We searched the area outside for a while, but didn’t find it. I went inside to tell my mom and change clothes. I stood in the breakfast room as I began my story. “You lost what?” my father’s voice rang out. “Greg’s mom’s earring” came my reply. “What do you mean you lost it?” I think you can imagine how the next few minutes went. Soon my father was headed out the door in search of the earring and I stood my ground and went and changed clothes. Thinking to myself, “funny how losing one small thing can suddenly become the only thing anyone cares about. Not, how was prom? Did you enjoy yourself?” 

Soon, I returned armed with a flashlight and my battle clothes, shorts and a t-shirt and helped my dad search. He swept and swept the drive until I thought he might sweep a hole right into it. And, then he said “Well Jen, I think we better pray. You know your mom taught me to ask St. Anthony to intercede when things are lost and I never quite believed her, but there were those papers I was looking and looking for and well, we found them nearly right after we asked for his intercession.” And, so we prayed and asked St. Anthony to intercede for us and help us find the lost earring.  

My dad did one more sweep and “clink.” We both stopped. Could it be? Yes! “The earring!”

 “Jenna Mae” he said “We both better thank St. Anthony because I am not sure how we were going to find that earring.” “I know Dad” I replied. In the back of my mind, I was thanking God and all the angels and saints because I knew I was going to need more than one saint to save me from the chewing I would have gotten had we not found that earring. 

The play that day was simple: put on the jewelry, go to prom, come home, and return it. But somewhere in between the driveway and the dark, things got out of order. That happens sometimes. We miss a step. We get ahead of ourselves. And then somehow God comes sweeping in beside us.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for sweeping in beside us, especially when we misstep and get ahead of ourselves. Thank you so much for parents who truly want what is best for their children especially when things get out of order. Thank You for all the angels and saints You call to our aid and for helping us to keep the plays simple in our day to day living. Have a beautiful day, Lord. Amen.

Thank you so much for joining us in prayer. Have a beautiful day!

All My Love,

Jen

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