I may be slow, but I get it!

A few years ago my sister told me the funniest story I think I’ve ever heard.  ABC could have used it for one of their sitcoms. The scene took place in her Tennessee front yard driveway on an extremely rainy day. Now here in California, we don’t quite understand the kind of rain they get in Tennessee. We’re talking about water falling from the sky with volume more like a Niagara waterfall rather than our California mist. My sister, Anne had returned from Walmart with her trunk full of groceries.  Knowing she was going to have to battle the deluge, She bundled herself up tightly. Raincoat zippered all the way up-Check, Hood anchored in place- Check, Ready, Set, Go!  Out she dashed to open the trunk and get into the house as quick as possible.  She still had her keys in her hand, so she dropped them smoothly into her right pocket and grabbed the grocery sack.  In lightening speed, she slammed the trunk shut.
Here’s where it all went downhill.  She turned to run to the house, but couldn’t move. Against all odds, the trunk had closed on her jacket.  Anne scrambled through her purse only to realize that she had put the keys in her pocket.  The hungry trunk had managed to devour the whole lower right side of the jacket- pocket included! The pocket containing the keys was now INSIDE the closed trunk! 
So, here is my big sister standing attached to her car in the pouring rain holding a bag of groceries.  As fate would have it, it was a minimum day at her school. She left work about mid-day, so unfortunately, her cul-de-sac that early was a ghost town.  If she was going to get rescued, she would have to do it herself.   Anne slowly unzipped the jacket and removed the hood.  Rain pelted and soaked her once dry hair and skin.  She tried to slither downward to no avail.  Since the rain had made a great lubricant, her best chance was to pull herself up on the car and try to squeeze herself out of the top of the jacket like a banana.  After the strange aerobics and weird contortions, the wet worm was finally free.  She turned to see her partially unzipped jacket hanging from the back car, like snake whose skin had been shed. 
Seizing her bruised victory, she dashed for cover and remembered that her home was locked too.  The next feat was to climb in an unlocked window.  As Anne’s last leg swung over the window pane, she heard her phone ringing. She picked up the phone cradle to only to hear her neighbor’s voice. The neighbor was calling to ask her how her day had gone.  She also told Anne that someone had left a grocery sack in the rain and did she know that a coat was hanging out of the back of her trunk?  This is a story that will go down in history only seconded by the time she ripped the gas pump off at the gas station., but that’s another tale….
I was reminded of this silly story last night when I went to see the new movie, “Battleship". There’s a scene in the movie when the hero is faced with personal loss, is overwhelmed with his situation and feels so inadequate for a role of leadership he is being thrust into.  He is holding back.  As the crisis builds, his heart cries out for him to rise out of his despair and become the man he was destined to be.  I found myself yelling to the movie screen, “he needs to step it up!”  At the same time, I heard God speak to my own soul, “Yep, Lynn- you need to step it up!”   There are places in my life where I have “trunked” the keys to the very things that have the ability to serve me, just like my sister’s ordeal and that movie!
What was God speaking to me about? Well, let’s get real and name a few of the phrases I tuck away and sit on. “I can do anything, in Christ!” God delights in using me!” ” If I don’t know how, nothing is impossible”, “My strength perfect in my weakness” “I’m going to succeed and God will be glorified.” “Why not me?” “My heavenly Father can finance anything endeavor! “, “God will make a way, where there seems to be no way with my time!” and there are more.  These messages, I lock deep in my own trunk, but why? When they hold the keys of opportunity for daily living and for some of the bigger things God is calling me into.  Keeping myself locked out, hinders me from going places, such as a car without a key.  It robs me of taking possession of what is my inheritance!  The key to my dwelling! And even worse is, if I don’t have my keys, who does?  My security is compromised.  I can be robbed of my God given identity!

It’s high time that my keys get out of the trunk of my stupid thoughts.  Keys are a symbol of power, authority and security, so why waste time questioning if we should even use them?  How crazy is the picture of the wet woman stuck to her car in a rainstorm holding a bag of groceries?  So thanks God, I got a good mental picture of how ridiculous Your view of me is at times.  I’m working on it.