Soapbox Sermon: Dig Deep Before You Lose What You Need!-Lorna M. Gilkey, August 17, 2015

Like most people in this world, I have a cell phone. And it occasionally loses itspower, which stops me from communicating with the ones I love. :( The battery seems togo dead at the most inopportune moments leaving me helpless and upset with myself fornot charging it the way I’m supposed to each night. What can I say? Sometimes I’m just alazy bum (and the truth shall set ye free!).☺

With that said, over the past month, I’ve participated wholeheartedly in everyavailable training program at work so that I would be ready for our new accountingsystem. And it turns out, each time you show up to an open workshop class, your name isentered in a drawing to win some prizes. They didn’t say what those prizes were andquite frankly I didn’t care because I was mostly interested in the knowledge I was gettingthat would enable me to serve those I work for better. Any future reward was secondaryto me.

Flash forward to last week. The new system “goes Live” and they announce thewinners of the drawings! Some won gift cards (which I LOVE!!!), some won bulkyheadphones (which I don’t), and some – including me – won something called a “JockeryBattery Charger.” I didn’t know what it was and I had a secret attitude at having wonsomething I know nothing about (long term blessing) instead of a gift card which Ialready knew I loved (temporary happiness). New was scary; give me what I’m alreadycomfortable knowing. Hmmm

[See where I’m going with this? No? Ok, keep reading please.]

Immediately, I griped about not knowing what this thing was and asked if I couldperhaps sell it. One person, with a very shifty look in her eyes, offered me $6 for it.While I didn’t think I wanted this thing I knew nothing about, I was sure what I had inmy hands was probably worth far more than what was being offered! So I declined. Andthen the blessing came.

You see folks, once I got home and had a chance to talk to my son, he gave mesome deep information about this Jockery thing that let me know how foolish I wouldhave been to give it away. It might not seem like it’s “all that” but it turns out, this is thesize of a lipstick tube and has a small cord to it; small enough to stick in my purse. Youcharge up this little thing via computer or a plug, then it lasts for a good month betweencharges. IF your cell phone is losing power, you simply plug your phone into this lipsticksized gem and it charges your battery! As a woman who frequently gets lost whendriving, for me, this is a gift straight from God!!!

Now I find this interesting and it’s teaching me something on many levels, bothspiritual and relational, and I pray it helps you, too. I attempted to give away, sell orotherwise lose something I NEED in my life all because I wouldn’t take the time to godeeper and find out exactly what an asset it would be to me. I refused to ask questions,take time to learn about it and see HOW it might enhance my life. Heck, even now as Itype this, that little thing is charging my phone and insuring I’ll have a measure of safetyshould I get lost going home (because it happens; don’t judge me).

What or who in your life are you dismissing just because – On the Surface – itlooks like it isn’t what you want? Do you realize it just might be what you NEED?! I’mjust saying, it might be time to think about that.

As for me, the next time I pray and ask God for the blessing of what I NEED inmy life, I will not turn up my nose because it isn’t what’s familiar to me. Rather, I amgoing to thank God, bless His name and run off into the sunset with all that positiveenergy knowing it’s mine all mine and the answer to an unspoken prayer.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’” (Mark 4:9)