Lost... yet Found


Last week, while taking Tanner to school, I saw something in the freshly fallen snow in the middle of the road (800 South at the Greenridge Avenue intersection). As I looked closer, I discovered it was a woman's wallet.

It was a busy time of day, with a lot of cars driving to work and school. Tanner watched closely for an opening in the traffic, then ran out and picked it up. When he brought it to the car, I was glad to see that everything seemed to be inside and nothing appeared to have been disturbed. We noticed by the driver's license that it belonged to one of our neighbors. I took Tanner to school then returned it to the home of the owner.

The lady wasn't home, but her husband was. As I returned the wallet, I expected a response similar to the parable Christ shared in Luke 15:8-10:

8 ​​Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one ​​​piece​, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find ​it?​
​​​9 ​And when she hath found ​it,​ she calleth ​her​ friends and ​her​ neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
​​​10 ​Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the ​​​angels​ of God over one ​​​sinner​ that repenteth.

Over my lifetime, I've returned several wallets and lost items. Typically, when I return a lost item, the response is one of gratitude and rejoicing. This response was a surprise. The husband said, "Oh, no. She is going to be so mad." Even after I pointed out that it appeared that the wallet was undisturbed and nothing was taken, he again said, "She is going to be so mad."

Since returning the wallet, I've reflected on this incident. Where am I? Am I like the woman who lost a piece of silver, and when it is found I'm happy, or am I angry with myself for having lost it.

Am I grateful for what I've been given, or filled with anger (or another emotion)...

It snows today. Am I grateful for moisture and beauty -- or angry that it must be shoveled and is slippery.
I wake before my alarm. Am I glad to get a head-start on the day -- or angry that I didn't get a few minutes of extra sleep.
Traffic on the road is crowded and going slow. Am I grateful for extra time to listen to music, listen to a book,  or ponder -- or am I angry because I'm now 2.37 (and counting...) minutes late.

To improve my life and make a personal change for the better, I must recognize where I am. Recently I heard a message where Shawn Anchor explained the need for daily writing down things I'm grateful for. Specifically he challenged us to, for 21 days, write down three things we're grateful for. His claim was that by doing this, our "brain retains a pattern of scanning the world, not for negative but, for positive first."

While I'm unable to control all that happens in the world, I can control how I respond to what happens. I want to become more positive and grateful for what I've been given.

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