A Story with a Familiar Ring

"Pray without ceasing..." I Thessalonians 5:17

Good morning, dear friends!

It seems like forever since I have written, and it has been!  Since school started, I have been feeling a little like a Momwich--squished together a little from all sides.  I know things will even out and calm down, but right now I'm hanging on to the roller coaster, and trying to enjoy the ride.

And I don't even like roller coasters!

Can I share a special story with you?  Actually, it starts off like a horror story and ends like a fairy tale.

This past year I have been really trying to lose weight. Anyone who has lost weight realizes that it doesn't always come off the places in our bodies that we would like.  Long story short, my wedding ring was loose. Very loose.

Cue the scary music...you know where this is headed.

As I was getting ready for bed Thursday night, I looked down and my wedding ring was gone.

I panicked.  I was devastated.  How could I have let it out of my sight?  How could I not have noticed it?

My husband and I searched through the bed, the trashcan, even the ziploc bagged frozen chicken that I had separated from the ginormous packaging from the store.

Nope. Gone.

I went to bed feeling horrible.  I knew that Friday was a big homeschool morning with my daughter, and that I wouldn't have much time to look for it.   I just assumed that it would turn up sooner or later, or maybe never.

I cried myself to sleep.

Sometime in the night I woke up and was still praying about the ring. But, my prayers had a different "ring" to them.

Since the beginning of September, I have been doing some Bible studies on prayer and reading through a devotional book on prayer that had been on my shelf for a while.  Someday maybe some of what I am learning will make it here on the blog, but right now the lessons have been very personal and humbling.

(Praying about being closer to the Lord in prayer amounts to the same results as praying for patience.  Hang on to your seats--things start to get interesting. I can't share some of what we have been going through, but just wow.)

Two very interesting quotes from the book that I have been reading jumped into my mind.  The first: "Sometimes we pray so hard to get out of a situation that we don't GET anything out of the situation." What lesson was the Lord trying to teach me through losing my ring?  The second, "Instead of praying ASAP prayers, I should pray ALAT--as long as it takes."

I had no idea how long I would be in this situation with my ring, but it became clear to me:  Instead of just praying for finding my wedding ring, I needed to pray that I would have the right attitude during this test.  I didn't know how long it would take, and I needed to be ready to pray and pray again, as long as it takes.

I woke up the next morning determined to have the right attitude.  Don't get me wrong, I looked everywhere in the house.  My husband drove back to the grocery store where we had shopped the day before in hopes that someone had turned in the ring.  I put out a prayer APB and many ladies responded.

God gave me grace through homeschooling and time with my kiddos on Friday morning.  I cleaned out my kitchen cabinets before lunch, and was back at it after lunch.

Guess where my ring was? Kitchen cabinet, bottom shelf, where I had gotten out the Stevia to make some ice cream the night before.

Like the woman with the lost coin, I was shouting and crying and rejoicing.  I took the picture at the top of the blog and sent it off to my prayer warrior ladies.

Most importantly, I thanked God for returning my ring to me, and so quickly.  He didn't have to, but He did.

And it made me stop and think:  The way I prayed for my ring, needs to be the way I pray through all the situations that I face everyday. God may not answer as quickly as He did with my ring, but I need to be ready to pray as long as it takes, and with the right attitude.

I have always looked down at my wedding ring and been reminded about my husband's amazing love for me.  Now, when I look down (as I have many times since yesterday), I am also reminded of my Father's amazing love for me.

And may I remember to continue to pray without ceasing...

P.S.  I made a very important purchase on Amazon yesterday: