"Help! I'm in a dark place! This is not my home. Where am I? The last thing I remember is being held by my "mum" and used to take lovely photos of scenes around a lavender farm. No, no that's not true. Actually I do remember the purchase of some lavender chocolate presumably for my "mum's" hubby. Really? Lavender chocolate? Weird sense of taste I think but back to my predicament. I am a lovely pink cell phone with a cute sparkly popsocket on my back. Normally I am tucked securely in the folds of a small, black backpack except on our trips to Hawaii then I am crushed down under a pill case and a red wallet in a tiny over the shoulder bag. Why my "mum" insists on carrying that ridiculous bag, so uncomfortable for me, I do not know. We will have to have a long conversation about that item since I blame it for my current dreadful situation! As far as I can figure it out my "mum" had to empty that bag in order to get to the wallet to pay for that ridiculous chocolate and in the flurry of leaving the little store she left ME on the counter! She knows how important I am but I guess other things were on her mind-hopefully not that despicable chocolate! As far as I can figure it out I was put into some kind of drawer or cupboard. It is definitely dark here and I feel very alone but I know my "mum" wouldn't abandon me so guess I will rest and pray for rescue in due time."
Meanwhile, discovery of Nancy's lost cellphone while in the TSA line for the return flight to Oahu at 6:00 p.m. causes panic and alarm. Nancy and Rebecca get out of the line and frantically try to mentally retrace the day's events. Car rental, Chef's home for cooking class, visit to a lavender farm, return rental and in line for return flight. A quick run to Avis results in nothing. A call to the chef's home comes up empty-handed. The lavender farm is closed by this time of night so what next? A call to hubby who quickly begins problem solving asking for Nancy's password to activate the iPhone tracking system. Unfortunately all Nancy's passwords are secure on her cellphone! To top that off her memory of numbers is suddenly gone in the tension of the moment! Leave it to her tech hubby who manages to bypass whatever? and get access to the tracking system. The "Find my iPhone app" locates the cell phone on the lavender farm. Hallelujah! Unfortunately we can't even notify them because they are closed so Nancy and Rebecca return to Oahu and await the morning to call. 9:00 a.m. sharp Rebecca calls and the store manager confirms the location of the pink cell phone and promises to put it in the mail on Saturday stating it will most definitely be at Rebecca's house by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Nancy returns to the states Tuesday night so is excited she will have her phone back in time. WAIT! Isn't Monday a holiday? Of course it is and that will delay delivery by a day. Therefore Nancy board's the plane WITHOUT the phone! Yet Hunter is faithfully tracking the phone, "pinging" its location, and it has not even left the farm! The "Find My Phone" app can bring joy or discouragement. The latter occupies Nancy's thoughts!
(Back at the farm)
"I'm out of the drawer soaking in the sunlight but a bit confused as my "mum" is no where in sight. I am being wrapped in bubblewrap and stuffed in a box so obviously I will soon be on the move!
Now I am being jostled around in a larger box, bumping down a road, I think. I am thankful for the change but still apprehensive about my destination.
Several hours later I find myself on top of a mountain of other boxes waiting and waiting for who knows what?
Nancy and Hunter arrive back in Florida after a day's flight only to discover, via the app, that the cell phone have not left Honolulu! Nancy is learning it is out of her hands so stop worrying and rest in the fact that eventually it will be returned. But being "cellphone less"is not easy in this texting world!
Tracking the phone continues for 5 more days! Mail can be slow, for sure, but finally we see the infamous "out for delivery" words and rejoice in it's arrival 10 days after it was discovered lost!
"Yes, the rescue, after days of sea travel, was sweet as I was undressed of bubblewrap, plugged into an outlet and came alive to hear ding, ding, ding, ding of 90+messages flooding my screen. Oh the joy of communication and once again being "on line"!
Although this is just a goofy little story I see how it could be applied spiritually. We often are lost, in dark places in our lives. It can be frightening but God is "on it" tracking our every move. He promises never to leave us. Psalm 139:7-15
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you."
