At the office, there is a copier located in room that, because of sensitive information, stays under lock and key at all times. For that reason, the copier is only used by key holders and their staff. Yesterday, I grabbed Kevin’s key (which stays attached to his car keys) to make some copies, and then returned to my desk, dropped the keys on it, and finished out the day.

We had driven separately because he had to stay to run a clinic for new agents, and was going to be late. So, around 5:00, I tidied up my desk, grabbed the keys off the desk and threw them in my purse, and headed out the door. I got home, changed into comfy clothes, collapsed on the sofa with my iPad.

About 8:oo, my phone rang. It was Kevin, which wasn’t surprising because he usually always calls to tell me he’s on his way. But this time was different.

“Honey? You didn’t happen to take my keys home, did you?”

Ummm…

Praying that it wasn’t so, but knowing in my gut it was, I searched my purse.

There they were, at the very bottom.

“Yes. DANG. I’m leaving now. Be there in about an hour.”

So yesterday ended with me on the road, a SECOND time, to and from the office. Two hours of my life I’ll never get back (not to mention the gas expense!), all because I subconsciously made the decision to grab some keys and take them home.

Isn’t it something, how every choice we make carries some sort of consequence, good or bad? Every action really does have a reaction. And, if even a subconscious decision can cause inconvenience and loss, how much more so a bad choice we make deliberately? Those don’t just cause a troublesome detour, they typically bring all out devastation. After those, it’s not just picking up keys and putting them in your purse that you play over and over in your mind, willing the scenario to look different.  No, there’s usually enough gore and carnage, as a result, to play more like a horror flick.

I’m thankful that in those times of deliberate and willful crappy choices, God is the key-holder. With the simple (yet profound) action of saying “I was wrong. I messed up.” and meaning it sincerely, He opens the vault that houses reels and reels of a different kind of movie altogether. He begins a scene of redemption playing over and over in your mind…peace-filled, and full of love and forgiveness.

(And probably keys all belonging to their rightful owners, or hanging on a hook where they belong.)

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9 NLT

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” Romans 3:24-26 NLT

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV