Sunday, May 21, 2017

The Key


My students think I am very sloppy.... and I am about some things. I have my own mental organization system but I often misplace things, particularly my wallet and keys. The following is about one of those frequent occasions. This is from October 1, 2006. (PS: It contains the funniest quote I've ever used in the applicable quote of the day section!) 

I had an emergency Friday. During my planning period, I was to do a presentation for one of our kindergarten classes. Amy, a five year old whirlwind, keeps bringing in money for our project to help orphans in Honduras. Susan Jones, Amy's teacher, asked if I could bring her one of the little wooden crosses I pick up each July on my mission trip and make a big deal of her good example. More than happy to oblige, I went to my desk to get the key which opens the cabinet where the crosses are stored. It wasn't in my desk. My student aide and I tore up my classroom in a vain effort to locate the key, which usually resides in the tray inside my desk drawer. We arrived late to the kindergarten class and apologized, not just for tardiness but also for reneging on a promise. Losing the key was a big deal. That cabinet is a very important piece of furniture in Room 258. Besides the crosses, it holds loose change for the Honduran children, copies of my book to sell, and all the financial records from the book sales. I realize I'm not John Grisham or Tom Clancy when it comes to sales (YET!) but to maintain a working relationship with the IRS, that blue wooden cabinet is vital. All it took to shut down my operation was the misplacing of one small piece of metal. I'm not very smart. It wasn't on a key chain so losing it was relatively easy. Fortunately, the key was recovered yesterday in a shirt pocket at the bottom of a stack of dirty clothes. The next step would have meant breaking the lock, rendering the cabinet much less valuable. I will never lose that key again, but I have eaten those words on multiple occasions.

Keys cause me problems. If I'm not losing them, I can't figure out which one opens which door. There are keys on my key chain that don't open anything that I'm aware of. I should mark my keys and get rid of the extra ones but like I mentioned earlier, I'm not that brilliant. A key isn't the issue. The correct key is the issue. On Friday, I tried a key they had in the office simply because it looked like mine. Of course, it was ineffective as I was sure it would be but we try anything when we are desperate. My key chain is non-descript but tomorrow, I am eliminating excess keys and sliding the remainders onto my new Adidas key chain, compliments of Ayramis Glenn. Hopefully, I will become more efficient and not relive last week's incident. My collection isn't imposing, just keys from school, my apartment, and my Toyota. If you want to see an impressive set, check out these keys listed in the Scriptures:
-the key to salvation, wisdom, and knowledge (Isaiah 33:6)
-the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19)
-the key to knowledge (Luke 11:52)
-the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:8)
-the key of David (Revelation 3:7)
-the key to the Abyss (Revelation 20:1)

Talk about your Biblical key chain! How big would that ring have to be? It's interesting that there is a lock that must be opened to both the places we dream of going and the locales we dread facing. Maybe death/Hades/the Abyss are locked for my safety. I'm glad those keys are in the care of someone who won't lose them! I have enough trouble with my one ounce cabinet key.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Looks like you lost the keys to the clue-mobile!"
Martin Poulter


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

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