We have a dear friend whose name is Sherry, Mrs. Sherry to us. Mrs. Sherry is known in our family for her funny stories. When I see her at family get-togethers, I often ask her to tell me a story to make me laugh. And she sometimes obliges.
One of our favorites is of a time when she was visiting a restaurant. I want to say it was a Taco Bell. She was doing what women do best—multi-tasking. She was ordering her food and talking to her husband on the phone. She gathered her tray and started towards her table when she realized something, “Hold on a minute, Terry, I’ve lost my phone.”
Before Mr. Terry could interrupt, she was already on the lookout for her misplaced phone. “I can’t find it!” she declared. “What have I done with that phone?” she ranted as Mr. Terry continued to try to interrupt.
“Sherry, Sherry…”
Ignoring her husband, she said, “Excuse me” to the people at the table nearby. “Did you happen to see me set my phone down?”
They shook their heads no.
“Sherry, Sherry…”
“Just a minute, Terry! I can’t find my phone. Let me ask the cashier. Excuse me, Ma’am, did you happen to see me lay my phone down up here?”
She shook her head no.
“Sherry, Sherry…” Mr. Terry said louder.
“What? Terry? I told you I am trying to find my phone!”
I can just hear him now, as calm as Mr. Terry always seems to be. “Sherry, how are you talking to me?”
For those of you who know Mrs. Sherry, you can imagine her at this point, standing there in the lobby of Taco Bell, purse on her shoulder, tray in one hand and phone in the other. She began laughing hysterically. She said the people at the table nearby got up and left.
I love that story, and I can’t tell it nearly as well as she can. But it reminds me a lot of myself, in more ways than one. However, most of the time, it’s not the phone I’m missing; it’s God.
Sometimes I get so tangled up in what I’m doing that I feel as if God is no longer there. I can’t feel Him. I can’t hear Him. So, I think that He doesn’t care. I think that somehow I have lost Him, or, worse yet, that He has lost me. The reality is different.
Maybe I am so busy that I neglect to spend time reading my Bible or praying.
Maybe I am so sad that all I can think about is myself and my hurt.
Maybe I am angry and frustrated with life and filling my days with complaints instead of praise.
So, I just keep walking around saying, “Where is He? Where is God in all of this? How come He’s missing when I need Him most?”
Then finally, just like Mr. Terry, God gets through. Sometimes, He even has to shout.
“Tricia, Tricia, I’m right here. I’ve never left you. You just aren’t paying attention. You just aren’t listening to Me!”
Psalm 66:19-20 says, “but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” And Psalm 34: 17-18 says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
God has never abandoned me. He is, in fact, closer than my cell phone, and in this day and age, that’s saying something. He is listening to me as I fumble through my days, ranting and raving, looking for Him, when He’s never been missing.
My job is to recognize His presence, hold Him a little closer, and learn to listen more often than I speak.
Do you ever feel like God has gone missing from your life? What brings you back to the realization that you’re the one who has moved?