Getting Outta Here
It’s not easy being me. For one, I struggle to do anything that’s simple. It’s as if my brain says: “Don’t worry. You’ll find a way to make it harder than it’s supposed to be.”
A great example of this is my battle with the electric lock system at my church for the fellowship hall. Over the years, I have launched a few of my books there. Each time the church secretary went over how to lock and unlock the system with me. The door key was actually a card that’s tapped onto the control pad. After the tap, I had to punch in a sequence of numbers to open it and lock it back. She even gave me an envelope with the sequences printed on it. Still yet, I struggled with it. That’s when called my cousin’s husband to help me with it. He has been involved in lots of church projects there and used to carry his own card/key.
Then came the time I reserved the fellowship hall for Sara’s Bridal shower. Tim and I arrived an hour early to set up everything. I tapped the card and got the door to unlock. Immediately I propped it open. Then I went back to my car and carried some things inside and laid them on a table. These included my purse, cell phone, and the electronic card. As I went back out, I gracefully bumped into the open door. This off course caused it to slam shut. From this point, it became a comedy of errors. If you’re unfamiliar with that term, read on. Trust me, you’ll soon understand it.
Holding my breath, I tugged on the door. Yep, it was locked. Apparently, I had unlocked it enough to open it that one time, so I hadn’t typed in the correct sequence to keep it unlocked. When Tim realized the door was locked, he was nonchalant about it. “It’s no big deal. Use the card to get back inside.”
“I can’t. It’s lying on a table inside,” I answered.
“You laid it down instead of keeping it with you?” Tim asked.
“Yeah, I did.” I really hated admitting that to him.
“It’s okay. We’ll call your cousin on your phone. That way her hubby can bring the card he has to unlock it.”
At this point, I wanted the porch floor to open up and swallow me. “My phone is inside too.”
“Please tell me you at least have your car keys.”
Instead of answering, I just shook my head ‘No.”
Tim threw his arms up.: “So, now what are we to do?”
My mom had just parked and walked up to us. Tim quickly caught her up on our little predicament. She wasn’t too happy either because she had ice cream for the punch in her van. Since it was a very warm day, it would soon start to melt. But she did have her phone so I could call our cousin. When she answered, I went into my spill about us being locked out and my stuff being inside. She reminded me that her husband was out of town wouldn’t back home until later that evening. Plus, he had turned his card/key back in to the church. After I related this to Mom and Tim, she went back to her van to turn on the air conditioning in hopes it would keep the ice cream from melting as fast. In frustration and desperation, I yanked the door as hard as I could. If you’re thinking that set off the alarms, you would be correct.
“We need to get outta here before the police show up!” Tim’s voice literally went up an octave.
“I’m not going anywhere because I didn’t do anything wrong. When they get here, I’ll explain what happened and they can call one of the church staff to verify everything.” I plopped down onto the top step.
“Well. I’m not waiting on them.” With that, Tim walked off of the porch and climbed into my mother’s van. To be honest, I almost expected to hear them squealing the tires as they raced out of the parking lot.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 (KJV)
I wasn’t worried about the police because I wasn’t trying to break into the church to commit a crime. In the verse, there is no condemnation because of the lack of guilt, but rather due to The Lord’s forgiveness. Now, that isn’t an excuse to commit a sin. Not at all. That’s why the verse tells us to walk with the Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost. He is our helper and comforter.
So, did the police arrive? Nope. The associate pastor did instead. When he received notification of the alarms, he figured we had set it off. Bless his heart, he opened the door and gave us another quick lesson on how to lock and unlock it. After everything was over, I realized something. He knew me and was probably waiting for me set off the alarm and was waiting for the inevitable.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.
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