.

She sat down but only for a moment and was getting ready to go when she did the logical thing and started looking for her keys. No problem right; wrong. At first she looked in front of her but they were not there. Then the most likely place was back at the counter she had gone to earlier, not there. Still no real panic, that was for a little later.

We checked around the kitchen floor, asked her son if he had them; not on the floor and not in the sons hand. Panic now is starting to set in. Everyone in the family now begins a massive search. We are looking on floors, in the back yard, on tables, under tables, on top of desk, underneath desk and everywhere we can think of; still no keys.

Let me pause for a moment of honesty here; I lose stuff all the time. Keys, billfolds, important numbers and receipts are just a short list of things that have been lost. Let me give a little more honesty, as I was looking I was thinking ‘man it is nice to look for stuff that someone else has lost.’ I was feeling pretty good, for a few minutes anyway.

After a while we are all at our wits end and can come up with nowhere else to look when our friend said something that struck my memory bank. I stood there for a second and it hit me. I told them to all stay where they were and went to the laundry room where by the way we keep our keys on several hooks made for people who lose things, like me.

Son of a gun there they were hanging on the hook just like they were one of our sets of keys. I had taken her keys when she put them down and without thinking (a bad habit of mine) hung them up with our keys.

Hey, they were in the right place anyway, right? The key to this devotional; unless asked or absolutely needed concentrate on taking care of your own business. Let me give you some points to unlock your thoughts.

1. Like me, many of us enjoy watching others suffer the same problems we have. It makes us feel better about ourselves if we can say look they lose their keys too. Or worst if we can say hey look their kids aren’t so good either or look their marriage isn’t so good, etc. We need not validate our lives in the light of others failures. Romans 12:3
2. As smart and wise as we think we are most people can do a pretty good job of keeping up with their life without us trying to put it in the proper place. Most of us have plenty of issues to deal with without sticking our nose in someone else’s life. Matthew 7: 3-5 * Now there is an exception here. If we see someone stepping out of the will of God and heading for trouble jump right in with a loving and caring spirit, not one of condemnation. Do your best to help a brother or sister in that situation. Proverbs 17:17
3. Be careful who you blame for your troubles and the troubles of others. We blamed every kid within three miles, but it was the adult (using that term loosely) who made the mistake. Matthew 7:1&2. Here is the deal with the blame game, most of the time we have ourselves to blame and when others are at fault it accomplishes little to worry about it. Keys were missing the goal was to find them. Lives are changed, people may be hurting the goal here is to survive and find a way to move on, helping someone pass the blame only adds to an already bad situation.

When in my house keep a good grip on your keys; when living your life keep a good grip on your patience. Losing others peoples stuff is bad, jumping in their business at the wrong time in the wrong way is worse.

Scripture: Proverbs 11:12-14, “A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be the kind of friend that is available in troubled times, one who knows when to step in and when to hold back. Help us to care for others with compassion and love, not judgment and condemnation. Guide us with wisdom and strength, we ask these things in the name of Christ, Amen.