Losing Out or Finding Out?

If there was ever a crazier day in my life, I'm pretty sure I would be dead!

Last night, I had the incredible privilege of going to watch the new Winnie the Pooh at the world's largest Drive-in theater (or so the pamphlet claimed!). I had a great time, but getting back to campus after 1am wasn't ideal. So, I was tired, right? Wouldn't you be? I didn't think this tiredness would be a problem; and actually, it wasn't. It was the business that did me in.

Sat. morning came (too soon) and I reluctantly got out of bed, took a shower, and went down to brunch with my wonderful, encouraging roommate. Lunch was uneventful (salad with chicken squares. :/) and it was our way back up to the dorms that it hit me: I didn't have the key to the library; and I had to open it in less than an hour! Panicked, I dialed the number of my supervisor. Voicemail... figures. I left a message explaining my mistake of forgetting to get the key the previous day and hung up. Who else can I call? I thought. I remembered the other time I'd forgotten to get the key: the maintenance men let me in with their universal key! Bingo! Hmmm... but there weren't any maintenance people on campus today...

Just then, I saw a girl who worked for maintenance walking back from lunch. I ran over excitedly and asked if she could give me the number of a maintenance person who would be able to unlock the library door. I got the number, whipped out my phone again, and placed my call. Voicemail... figures. So, I left another message explaining the details of the fiasco.

At this point, it's high time the library be open, and students were starting to gather outside the doors, waiting to get in. I made my way over to them (this is going to be embarrassing) and had to share with them the error of my scatterbrained ways. "I can't open the library until I can get a key. I'm doing all I can," I explained solemnly. After sending away the masses, I handcrafted some signs out of notebook paper which read, "Sorry, the library is closed until further notice. It will reopen at its regular hours tomorrow. Thanks." After placing these near the two main doors (I didn't have tape) I emailed my supervisor, thinking she might check her email more frequently then her voicemail.

After all this had been done, and I'd spent another 15 minutes freaking out through Mercer and the student center looking for someone with authority, I decided I should get some studying done. I picked Mercer, as it's the closest building to the library, and pounded out a few homework assignments.

It was then 4:00pm, one hour until the library was officially supposed to close. I thought I'd give one last shove trying to find a way to open it. I called all the numbers I'd tried thus far again and them some more frazzled messages. No luck... figures. I was pretty much out of ideas. I found the RD of Robinson and she gave me a personal cell phone of a maintenance man. I was tired of dialing at this point, but what other choice did I have? Voicemail... figures.

Dejected, I resigned myself to my room. No more trying. It was over. But wait.... What's this? My phone's ringing!!!! A call back!!! "Hello?" I answered, uncertainly. It was maintenance!!! I agreed to meet him outside the library in 5 min. I looked at the clock, it was 5:00pm. Library's closed... O well. Once inside the library, I was able to locate the numbers of other library staff and explained what had happened. I also brought in the newspaper and checked-in the books in the book drop. I clocked in for 15 min. (here's hoping they accept it!).

It was a no good, terrible, rotten kind of day. And it continued.

After dinner, I was looking through my purse and realized I was missing $20! Then, I noticed I was also missing my sunglasses. Oh, yeah; my contact cleaner was gone too. "Are you kidding me?" I breathed silently, too frustrated to say it out loud. "I'm totally spacing it today..."

Through this, God never gave up giving me joy, an attitude that was able to look at the series of events and laugh along with my anxiety. I've been learning a lot about faith lately, and am reminded that where my treasure is reveals where my heart is. I thought about how much the little things of this life really mean to me: how much losing them causes me to react. Now I'm asking myself the question, am I losing, or finding? Is God using my "misplacefulness" as means to teach me trust? To teach me that there's a bigger frame than what I've been using to display my life.

"Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it."

-Luke 17:33

By the way, I found the $20. :)