Lost phone

I actually remember something from a sermon years ago, I mean YEARS ago, when I was quite young. The preacher said something like this, 'when you kick a bucket over you find out what is inside of it--honey or acid' (not sure who's the guy that only puts honey or acid in a bucket...but that's another story) and similarly with life life he said 'when your life gets kicked you find out what is inside of it'. This weekend we took an adventure to the coast involving a train, a tram and eventually a bus to end up at a waterpark designed to hurt both the body and ego. I haven't fallen so hard since I was a kid, the whole place seemed designed to find ways to make you slip and fall as awkwardly as possible, it is basically a floating obstacle course. One of my favourite memories of this trip will be laughing so hard at seeing Shonet slip, panic, grasp at futility only to be absorbed by the salty brine below...and in my laughing stupor to lose my footing and in a half second see my feet in the air above my head in a contortion that could get me a job with Circue du Soleil. I have a new respect for those I have mocked on the show 'Wipeout'.  We had a blast but by the end I wasn't sure if I would be walking properly or if my spine would need some serious realignment. The kids did great and were off to the next physical adventure, Shonet and I caught our breath and counted ourselves fortunate to be walking. This is the course behind us...all smiles before heading in (notice Olivia's brave face...a typical posture of hers on this trip).

When we finally stumbled back to the tram station we had picked up a few groceries and in the moments before the tram arrived we reshuffled the bags. A bell rung, the tram arrived, groceries were stuffed into packs and we hopped on, happy to be heading home. 

A tired body + tired mind + an urgent pack up = something will be forgotten. I had been using my phone to navigate around the area and had put it down on a bench by the station while we packed our bags, 20 minutes later when had to switch trams I realized to my horror--I left my phone at the station we came from. Have you ever lost your phone or your wallet? In a foreign country? This was a kick for sure and what made it more painful was I had no one to blame, my kids didn't do it, my wife didn't do it, I wasn't victimized...I simply left my phone on a bench in a sketchy area. 

I wish I could say that I responded with the faith of Elijah or the patience of Job; but rather I responded more like a pouting child. Its these moments that the kids remember, how did dad handle it when he lost his phone at the tram station...how did I handle failure and disappointment, what do I do when I lose my way...one day they will face these 'kicks' in life and they're watching and learning so they too know how to handle these moments. We have said from day one of this sabbatical that God was taking us on an adventure, that we are trusting Him and learning what He has for us in each day...lets keep our eyes open to what God has planned for us. But what I wanted to see was my phone...

We prayed together on the tram station and then I anxiously parted, frantically wondering what critical info was on my phone that someone could take. But after hours of searching, talking to the police and tram staff (one police officer frankly told me that the station I lost my phone at was a notoriously uncharitable area). And after missing my final bus home, I took the long walk back to our place as the sun set. Life has been incredibly good, God has been more than kind yet I couldn't help feeling despondent at this loss, I wish I could have echoed the apostle Paul's words--'consider it all joy my brothers when you face trials of all kinds...', in my long walk back I wasn't considering this very joyful and was coming up with a plan for how to find this phone the next day. But really in the end, we prayed again and though I was quite sorry I felt peace to just let it go. 

That's when we got a phone call...from MY phone! A university student picked it up shortly after we left, didn't know what to do with it so he took it home to show his dad. I had been texting and phoning my phone from Shonet's phone and they simply called back. Long story short, they were happy to hold on to it till we could pick it up no strings attached. Another undeserved mercy and grace to us...I am currently typing this while using my phone for a hotspot. Kind of cool how it all worked out. Yet it revealed that there are many areas in my heart that I find difficult to trust God with, that when I get kicked (to be honest this is a minor kick compared to what others experience) my go to reaction is to take control, pout and demand my rights...ridiculous. Am thankful for the day that it was, for the laughs with my family, and for my phone back...but also for what it revealed in me (not proud of it but thankful to be aware of it). I believe it was Socrates who said, 'An unexamined life is not worth living'. Thankful for many things today.