This past Sunday I lost my wallet. I laid it down at the Jimmy John's restaurant near the drink fountain and left it. My natural instinct is to blame my girlies. They were both in the WORST moods and were crying and fussing about everything. I also want to blame my husband. I have no legitimate reason how to blame him, but in my flesh, I just want to blame someone, anyone but myself.
We had been at oldest curly girlie's soccer game and she was not participating. She was pouting and fussing and I wasn't really sure why. But, I was frustrated. I was disappointed that once again she was choosing to sit in the grass and not play.
We left the soccer game and decided to stop at Trader Joe's to grab something for dinner. It was at this point that I realized my wallet was gone. We called Jimmy John's and there was no sign of a wallet. We stopped by there and looked all around in the restaurant, the trash and the surrounding area. We then went back to the soccer field to look there. No wallet. No sign of it anywhere. I immediately began sobbing.
I felt vulnerable and anxious about the situation. The day before, I had gotten some cash out of the ATM machine so that we could start using it for our groceries and eating-out expenses. I had about $200 in my wallet. I NEVER have cash. NEVER. So, that of course bothered me. But most of all, I was concerned about all of my personal information being in the hands of a stranger.
I cried more and more. I was simply devastated. I was so upset, not just about the wallet but about the entire day - the "spat" that I had with my oldest girlie about getting ready for church that morning, the fact that we ate at a restaurant that I didn't choose, the whining and crying from the curlie girlies, and then the soccer game turnout. But amidst all of the chaos of the day, both my husband and my oldest girlie just prayed. They kept praying and praying that we would find my wallet.
The next day we prayed more and more. I called my family and friends and asked them to pray. I thought to myself often that there was no way we would find it. It was long gone. I called the restaurant and the soccer league. I went back by Jimmy Johns. I even asked the next-door restaurant if they had seen it. I imagined that someone had picked it up from the restaurant, taken the cash out of it, and thrown it away. It seemed really impossible. But yet, I just felt compelled to pray for a miracle.
On that same day, my youngest girlie fell off a piece of playground equipment and seemed to be in a lot of pain. So, we visited our pediatrician and she insisted that we go to the hospital to have an x-ray. I started laughing because I have no wallet - no license, no insurance cards, no debit card - nothing that will allow me to admit my little girlie to the hospital.
We spent the afternoon laying on the sofa watching a movie because little girlie can't walk or do much of anything. My oldest girlie, who is soooo persistent and says whatever is on her mind, kept praying that day. She told people about the missing wallet and just continued to pray throughout the day. She was very sweet and I could sense a real genuine concern from her for both me and her sister's foot. Hubby comes home from work, takes us to the hospital, and a few hours later, after much praying for the wallet and her foot, we get the results. It's not broken, just a minor sprain. We are so relieved!
Well, Tuesday morning arrives. I take my oldest girlie to preschool and she prays for both her sister's foot and my wallet. I tell her that I really appreciate her prayers for my wallet but that Mommy was not worried about the wallet anymore. It was gone and we would be fine. We had cancelled all the cards, ordered a new wallet, spent an hour at the bank getting things re-sorted, and so I had accepted the fact that the wallet was gone. She told me, "It's ok Mom. I prayed. We don't need the money. I'll get you a new wallet for Christmas."
Well, you won't believe what happened next that afternoon. Hubby came home from work and brought the mail into the house. I received a soft package from a random man off Piedmont Road. I remember thinking in my mind that I had no idea what this could be and so I laid it down as I got distracted by the girlies. I came back to the package, ripped it open, and there inside of it was MY WALLET! Yes, someone found my wallet and mailed it back to me! The cash was taken but all of my things were still intact, even my gift cards to J.Crew and Starbucks. I was ecstatic! I started jumping up and down and yelling with excitement! My family couldn't believe it - we were all so excited and so thankful that the Lord did answer our prayers. The persistent praying and begging was heard by our Great God and He gave me back my wallet.
In my last post I talked about the book "A Praying Life" and how Miller writes that Jesus wants us to pray like a child. After the events of this week, I fully believe and understand the importance of praying consistently, saying what comes to my mind, and without any eloquence. I'm so thankful for my wallet because I have a tangible reminder of the Lord's goodness. It spurs me to "rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer." (Romans 12:12)