Dear Lindsey
He got in the car and said, “Has anybody seen my other shoe?” We were on our way to church for our bi-weekly geography class with other homeschoolers.
“You got in the car wearing only one shoe?!” I said, changing my mood from fun Miss Frizzle to Miss Frazzled as we rushed down the road, trying to gain the minutes we had lost by leaving late.
“NO. I was carrying TWO shoes when I go into the car, but now ONE is gone! Christine!” he blamed his sister for not looking hard enough.
Seeing her reading in the front seat, I got her attention: “Christine, if you lost your own shoe, you would appreciate others helping to look. Please look.”
She looked under and around her seat; no black tennis shoe with neon orange laces was found, so she returned to reading.
We got to church. Still no shoe.
We got out of the car and my son slithered over the tops and under the seats, contorting his body to every nook and cranny of the vehicle, but still no shoe.
“Well you will just have to wear your socks to class today. It’s OK – homeschoolers are used to it,” I joked.
As we walked from the parking lot, many of their friends were in the church yard kicking a soccer ball. Next to the door, there were two Crocs (shoes) waiting for their owner to claim them before re-entering the building.
“Look! One of those soccer kids took off his shoes! You can wear them and see how long it takes him to notice!” I jested – hoping to improve my son’s mood before we got into the building.
That’s when he surprised me the most….
“THERE’S MY CROCS! I WAS WONDERING WHERE I HAD LEFT THEM!” He ran 
and put on the shoes that were sitting outside of the church’s backdoor…. presumably for the past two weeks since our last geography class when we had used that entrance.
I can’t say I have ever gone to a church with shoes on and gone home without them. I started to ask questions as to how exactly that happened and decided it was best just to laugh, because I was going to anyway!
I asked J.R. if I could share this story on my blog. (I don’t like to publish things that my kids would not want to be shared.) He said, “I guess, if you think it would help someone.” (Ha! So sweet!)
I asked him how he thought it could help someone… or if it was just a story that would make us laugh – which is what the three of us were doing when we saw the Crocs.
He said, “Well you could tell people that sometimes when you think you lost something, God is just saving it for the right time.”
Perfect.
- When you lose that house you wanted because of someone else’s offer: wait – God might have the perfect one waiting in the perfect timing.
- When you lose the opportunity to be on that team because you are not big enough: wait – God might have the perfect team on hold for the perfect time.
- When you lose that job you thought you would have forever: just wait – God might have the perfect job (or one you lost before) to offer at the time when you need it most.
Or when you lose your shoe – just know that God might have another complete pair waiting for you to find at just the right place and just the right time.
Feel free to start a comment below with “when you lose” if you have a time when God gave you your other “shoe” at just the perfect time.
Blessings,
Terri (and J.R.)
Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
P.S. In case you were wondering: When we arrived home after class, his other shoe was found lying in the foyer where he must have dropped it en route to the car.
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Letters to Lindsey 
Hello Terri!
In 2005 my dear loving dad went home to be with the Lord! Praise God!!
He had beat Tuberculosis in his teenage years and a myriad of other health issues throughout his 83 years, yet lived a blessed and wonderful life.
Many folks came to our home with the usual “I’m sorry you “lost” your daddy” etc. yet, he was never lost. Absent from the body, present with the Lord; says the good book. Intially, I was upset since it was rather sudden.
However, a few weeks after the funeral I was reading in my journal and realized that my Lord had answered my prayers concerning my “lost” daddy just as I had requested!
That journal entry became my “right on Time” reminder.
Be blessed
When you lose a high-stress job, God gives you time with your family, kids programs at school, and sandy evening cuddles after long afternoons at the beach.
I love and can picture J.R.’s response…”I guess, [shrug and grin] if you think it would help someone.” 😃
The very first thing that came to mind as I finished reading your post was a little different than the context intended, but I think it goes perfectly with what you’re trying to get across.
My thought was, “If you lose your way: just wait – God might allow you to experience certain situations and frustrations to mold you into someone that can help the next person in your life that has lost their own way.”
Lately, I’ve been finding that a lot of the little things in my past that I wouldn’t choose to share with someone voluntarily have become critical in relating to and helping someone move past their own struggles and issues.
Thanks for sharing, Terri!
All the negative pregnancy tests and after 3 years of trying the positive test and an amazing little girl.
LOL perfect timing…. my cell phone was ‘lost’ this week and it has been a lesson of grace and forgiveness learned. enough self talk CAN change your attitude and make you get over it must faster than choosing to stew about it. thank you Lord that I am blessed to have the ability to replace it.
Hi, Terri. With my children all grown, most of my grandchildren almost grown, and the great-grandbabies coming along at a fast pace, I love these stories and it takes me back to those hectic but precious years.
We did experience losing something we wanted really badly. This was in 1980 and we lived in Brandon, Florida – one hour from Disney World and a “heaven on earth” place for a family to live. We decided we needed a bigger house for our family of 6. I was attending a Bible study one morning in a neighborhood that had one street in, formed a circle of homes, and you exited on that one street. I found a house for sale that appeared to be just what we were looking for. I looked in all the downstairs windows and liked what I saw. I called the real estate agent to arrange a viewing. She told me that she lived an hour away and that this house had been on the market for a year and she didn’t want to make that drive to show it unless I was seriously interested. I assured her that I was. We made an appointment for the next day. Before the appointment, she called to say that the house had been sold for cash – no longer on the market. Big disappointment but I decided God must have something better for us and kept looking. I found another house I really liked and went to see it with my agent. It was a beautiful house but with really dated carpet, appliances, etc. We decided to make an offer and contacted our agent. She called back and said that the house was occupied by the builder and it was really great quality but just very dated. The owner had been offended by low offers and had taken it off the market. She said that she knew what they were hoping to get and that if we offered that, she was sure they would sell to us. They didn’t. 2nd disappointment. By then I knew God must have some kind of mansion he was saving for us. We found a 3rd house that had some land and was in a beautiful setting. The house needed some renovation so we asked about bringing a contractor out to give us an estimate on remodeling. All was looking good and the owner was about to leave on a 10-day hunting trip. No cell phones then. He told us that he liked us and wanted us to have the house so when he returned we would talk. He assured us nothing could happen while he was gone since he was his own agent.. While he was gone, his wife sold the house. Loss #3. Within a very short time, we did find our dream house but it was not in Florida. Through some strange circumstances, God opened doors and pointed the way to Texas. We have been here since 1981 – a true blessing. Who knew? God did.
The older we get and the more we experience, the easier it is to see God working in our lives. So many times we don’t see God during a situation. Moses wanted to see God but God hid him in the cleft of a rock and covered him with his hand. He didn’t see God in the moment but afterwards he knew that God had been there. He always is.
On Thu, Feb 9, 2017 at 7:10 AM, Letters to Lindsey wrote:
> Terri posted: “Dear Lindsey He got in the car and said, “Has anybody seen > my other shoe?” We were on our way to church for our bi-weekly geography > class with other homeschoolers. “You got in the car wearing only one > shoe?!” I said, changing my mood from fun Miss” >
Wow! Thanks for sharing! – Terri
This week our little Bible study looked at Philippians 3:1-11, Paul said in vs8 re: his “resume” I count it all for loss! His loss was impressive, but his gain Christ! Amazing! Thanks Terri & thanks Paul for putting worldly loss in eternal perspective !
Wonderful post, Terri! What a beautiful picture of God’s timing and provision. It’s extra sweet when children “get it” and are able to apply Biblical principle. You’re list struck a chord in me. First of all about the house offer. Several years ago we began a serious search for a new home. The one we were in was (and is) perfectly fine and we didn’t have to move, but that was our (emphasis on our) plan. House after house, things did not work out. Either there was something wrong with the house, or our offer wasn’t accepted. The answer to God’s will be done in this situation ties in with another one you mentioned. God knew that after 29 years in the banking industry, change would happen and I would no longer be working there. God knew the housing bubble would burst and we would have wound up owing more on our new home than the home value. God knew our income would be cut. God knew that the job I had dreamed of, working in my church, would come available at just the right time. A great reminder that God knows!!
What a great story!! Thanks for sharing! God is good:)!
When you begin to get frustrated with your situation, because plans aren’t working out quite like you had hoped: wait—God may be building a different to open for you, it’s just taking longer than you expected.
When school and work weren’t planning out like I had planned, I realized it was because I just wanted to go out and serve a church mission. But at the time a woman had to be 21 years old. Frustration set in, since I didn’t know what else I wanted to do for the next 2 years. A few months later, regulations were changed, and the age limit had been dropped to 19! Off I was sent for 18 months to mi querida Argentina.
When I was tired of all the young men not committing to anything or being straightforward with me (after my 18-month mission), I realized I just had to wait and work on ME. God knew that a wonderful man would be flying up from Mexico City shortly who would sweep me up off my feet and take me on innumerable adventures to Mexico and back, conventions, seminars, and amazing people and mentors.