When your phone is the only such device in the house, it
matters where you place it. Setting it down carelessly can lead to trouble, as
there is no one else about the place to call your number and let the ring or vibration
buzz alert you to its location. All you have to assist you are your own two
eyes… and sometimes finding a phone in the mass of objects in your house can be
as difficult as spotting Waldo’s red-and-white striped likeness on a page of
the famous children’s puzzle books. Retracing your steps and rethinking where
you were headed last become the only recourses available to you, and when they
are not enough, you are in trouble indeed.
Nothing induces panic in my chest like the thought of losing
my phone, as it is simply my lifeline to the outside world. All my contacts, my
sources of help… in fact, all the numbers and letters that in combination unlock
the details of my life are contained inside of that flat, rectangular wonder. No
wonder I freak out when it can’t be found! I don’t know how I’d function
without it anymore!
Sometimes the same happens on a spiritual level. We set our Source
of help and hope carelessly aside as we go about our days… and then when we
suddenly need it, it’s nowhere to be found. And the consequences of that
loss are so much harder to recover from than merely purchasing a replacement item
at a local electronics store, however inconvenient the restoration process may
be.
A life without hope is miserable indeed. Trying to live without
something to look forward to, a purpose to pursue, a future event to strive for
is like setting a plant in a dark place where it can’t receive the sunlight and
water it needs to live, let alone thrive. It eventually leads to the plant’s death.
Sadly, a loss of hope can lead to an untimely end to a human life in the same
way.
There’s a difference, however. While I’m keenly aware that I
live alone, and if I lose my phone, finding it is up to me, the truth of the
matter is that we are never truly alone; God is always present, whether
we acknowledge His existence or not. He is like the air we breathe, invisible
yet indispensable. And just the mere mention of His Name, even an inaudible cry
from the heart, summons His ability and resources to whatever need is prompting
the call.
I remind myself often when looking for something that
nothing is ever truly lost; it is only temporarily misplaced. The same is true
with my relationship with God. Even if I’ve set it aside somewhere along my
life’s journey, my faith is voice activated; I call and God answers. Always! It’s
a promise in the Word. And it works.
Of course, the best course of action is not to lose it in
the first place. The older I get the more I realize that I have to live my life
consciously rather than on auto-pilot. I
have to think about what I’m doing… where I place things, what I’m looking for,
what I need to do next. And the same is true of my spiritual life. I have to
stay conscious of God and His Presence within me, His ways, His words, His
directions. And when I do that, I never lose track of that which I hold most
dear… my relationship with Him.
Perhaps author Ann Voskamp has said it best: “Maybe the most
important question to ask your soul every day is simply where will you set
your hope today so you don’t lose it?”
Here’s your answer: “So now wrap your heart tightly around
the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps His promises!”
(Hebrews 10:23 TPT)
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