The First Lockout – A Wake-Up Call
Recently, I had an early morning gym session and
accidentally locked my single set of car keys inside my vehicle. The
moment I walked into the gym, I realized my mistake. Every time I go to the
gym, I scan a barcode on my keyring to check in. As I reached for my keys to
scan, my heart dropped—I didn’t have them. My mind immediately flashed back to
where I had left them: sitting right on the driver's seat. I had taken them out
of the ignition and placed them there, as I always do, so they would be in my
hand when I scanned them. But this time, I had stepped out and shut the door
before grabbing them.
My initial thought was, You have got to be kidding me.
I couldn’t believe it. I felt a mix of frustration and disbelief. How had I
been so absentminded? But with nothing left to do, I pulled out my phone
and contacted roadside assistance.
Thankfully, I had my roadside assistance app, so I requested
a locksmith and waited for the tow truck driver to arrive. It took about an
hour, but he was friendly and efficient, unlocking my car within minutes.
Despite this mishap, I was hesitant to purchase a programmed key due to the
high cost. So, I decided not to.
The Second Lockout – Learning the Hard Way
Fast forward six days. It was an evening like any other, and
I was attending a church function, surrounded by familiar faces and warm
conversations. Everything was going smoothly—until it was time to leave.
Getting things together, ready to head home, that’s when a
sudden, sinking realization hit me. My keys were locked inside my car. Again.
I could almost hear my own frustrated sigh echoing in my
head. Seriously? How could I have done this again—in less than a week?
Just days ago, I had promised myself I’d be more careful. Yet, here I was, outside
of my locked car, feeling a mix of disbelief and self-annoyance.
My church family was incredibly kind and understanding. They
reassured me, saying things like, “Oh, don’t worry! This has happened to all of
us at some point,” and “It’s no big deal—you’ll get it sorted out.” Their words
were meant to encourage me, but I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with
myself.
To them, it was just a minor inconvenience—something easily
fixed. But to me? It was a glaring reminder that I had ignored an obvious
solution. I had been too stubborn (or maybe just too hesitant) to get a
spare key after the first incident, and now I was paying for it.
Once again, I pulled out my roadside assistance app,
requested a locksmith, and settled in to wait. And as I stayed there, watching some
folks drive off while I was stuck waiting for a tow truck, I kept thinking
about how avoidable this situation had been.
By the time the locksmith arrived and popped the lock open,
I was more than ready to be done with this lesson in patience. As I finally got
behind the wheel and drove home, I made a firm decision: I am getting a
spare key. No more excuses.
And this time, I actually followed through.
 |
| not my actual spare |
Looking back, I’m not entirely sure why I was so hesitant to
get a spare key made. I suppose, at the core of it, my hesitation came down to
a few things—one of them being the financial aspect.
When I first looked into getting a spare, I had been quoted
a ridiculous price for a programmed key. Spending that much money on
something I might never actually need felt like a waste. That’s usually how
things go—once you finally get the backup, you never end up using it. So, I
convinced myself it wasn’t worth the cost.
But if I’m honest, maybe it wasn’t just about the money.
Maybe I was also just brushing it off, thinking, Oh, this won’t happen
again. Or maybe, deep down, I didn’t want to admit that I should have taken
action sooner.
Whatever the reason, I had let my justifications keep me
from making a simple, practical decision. And in doing so, I had unknowingly
set myself up for another frustrating situation.
In the Bible, there’s a powerful account of Naaman, a
wealthy and well-respected man who suffered from leprosy. Desperate for
healing, he sought out the prophet Elisha and received a simple but unexpected
instruction:
"Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh
shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean." (2 Kings 5:10)
The Jordan River was known to be filthy, and Naaman,
in his pride, resisted at first. He had expected a grander, more dignified
method of healing. But his servant wisely pointed out:
"My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some
great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he
saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?" (2 Kings 5:13)
Convicted, Naaman humbled himself, followed God’s
instruction, and received complete healing:
"Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times
in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again
like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." (2 Kings
5:14)
Applying Naaman’s Story to Everyday Life
That story made me think about how sometimes the solutions to our problems are much simpler than we make them out to be. Just the other day, I found myself in a frustrating situation that could easily be remedied—I just needed to get a spare key. It wasn’t complicated, it wasn’t too expensive, yet for some reason, I hesitated.
The Importance of Simple Obedience
And then it hit me: why do I resist the simple solutions God
puts in front of me? Like Naaman, I sometimes expect a more complex or grand
solution to a problem, when really, obedience in the small things is all
that’s needed.
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
God often works through simple, everyday steps, and when we
choose to follow His guidance, even when it doesn’t make sense to us, we find
the resolution we’ve been seeking.
So I got the spare key. Problem solved. (A simple, cheaper door only key).
"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
hearken than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22)
Resisting Simple Solutions
This whole situation got me thinking—how often do we, as
people, resist the simplest solutions? How many times do we convince
ourselves that we don’t need help, that we can handle things on our own, or
that our way is better?
I realized that my hesitation over getting a spare key
wasn’t just about the money. It was about my mindset. I thought I could avoid
the inconvenience, that I wouldn’t need a backup, and that I could work around
the problem if it ever came up again. But all I really did was make things
harder for myself.
It’s the same in so many areas of life. We overcomplicate
things, searching for bigger, more elaborate answers when, in reality, the
simplest solution is right in front of us. We try to fix situations in our
own way, delaying what could have been resolved much sooner—just like Naaman in
the Bible. He wanted a grand healing, but all he had to do was obey a simple
command.
How often do we do the same thing? How often do we resist
the easy answer just because it doesn’t seem big enough or important
enough? But God often works through small, straightforward steps. And when
we choose to obey—even in the little things—we find the peace and provision
we’ve been searching for all along.
So, whether it’s a spare key or a step of faith, let’s
not resist the simple solutions God provides. Sometimes, the easiest answer
is also the right one.
Have you ever learned a lesson the hard way? Let me know in
the comments!
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