Unexpected Phone Lessons

Posted On July 26, 2024July 26, 2024

For the last seven weeks, I’ve been writing and teaching a bible study for our ladies group. Daily homework and an hour-long lesson each week means lots of studying and writing each week. Ironically, I volunteered to go to two different camps, one with each of my boys. And they just so happened to fall on back-to-back weeks. I knew what the first camp would be like and when I could find time to write, but the second camp was a wildcard. So, I scheduled my writing time for the weekend in between camps.

            Since I was traveling, my group asked if I would make a video of the teaching for them. Since we were headed to Ridgecrest, I had wonderful visions of doing a Facebook live teaching from the Prayer Garden on Wednesday night. No matter how much I wanted to wait and do the video at camp, I couldn’t turn off the notion that I should record the video before I left.

            Fast-forward to Wednesday lunchtime. My bladder was overfull, and I desperately needed a restroom. I made it through the cafeteria line, set my food on the table with my group, and made a beeline for the ladies room. I must have taken my phone out of my pocket and placed it on the toilet paper holder without thinking, because twenty minutes later when I reached for it to take a picture of our kids, it wasn’t there.

            Panic hit me like a wave. I headed straight to the bathroom, checked every stall. Nothing. That not only meant no phone, but no driver’s license, no debit card, no insurance card, and no credit card since my phone case held all of that. I asked every worker and volunteer. I even gave my number to one lady who called my phone all afternoon in hopes of finding it. Quickly, I discovered where all the lost and found locations were and checked them. No luck.

            I made my way back to where the other leaders were waiting and we tried calling the phone again. But then it hit me as clear as lightning—if I had waited until that day to make the video, I wouldn’t have been able to. It was God that was prompting me to get the video done on the weekend. He already knew I’d lose my phone, but I had not even considered that possibility.

            The panic subsided a bit as I called my bank and put a hold on my debit card. God already knew this would happen and he made sure I got that video done so his message would be received on time by the people who needed to hear it. If he knew I’d lose my phone, he also had a solution for either finding it or starting over again.

            Instead of completely freaking out, I waited. After a few hours, I got word that someone turned the phone into the front desk. Everything was in it, and all was well again. But I learned a valuable lesson: don’t dismiss those seemingly insignificant nudges. They might just be God leading the way.