I have a story for you about a lesson we learned this week, but before I tell it, let me invite you to Substack!
If you are a subscriber here, you may wonder what happened to my writing. I’ve been trying out Substack and prefer to write there. I invite you to join me on Substack – mine is free, no pay wall.
Most recently I’ve been writing short devotional series. The latest one is based on our pastor’s last sermon on Exodus 33 and 34 where Moses asks God to show him His glory. If you want to read that series, here are links to the first several pieces:
Also every Saturday I write a prayer – I hope you’ll find it encouraging and something you can use to pray for others.
In the meanwhile, here is a true story for those of you who have stopped in to see what’s happening about a lesson we learned this week.
We stepped out on the deck. As Ron pulled the sliding glass door shut behind us, we heard a kerplunk. We didn’t think much about it at that moment. But when we realized what happened a few minutes later, we knew we were in a pickle for sure.
We had arrived a few hours earlier after about a six-hour drive. Our cute little rental was right on the Intracoastal Waterway and looked beautiful in the online pictures.
We were tired upon arrival, so we were just getting settled, figuring out the TV, connecting to the wi-fi, and checking out the kitchen. We fixed a sandwich and talked about our day.
After resting a bit, we decided to venture out on the deck. The deck had an assortment of furniture, so we moved it around, found the more comfortable chairs, and started watching the heron and the pelican. We could see fish in the water and were curious if the birds would scoop them up.
It wasn’t until several minutes later that we discovered our problem. That “kerplunk” we had heard when exiting through the sliding glass doors was the broom handle the owners use to secure the doors. It had inadvertently fallen into the track when we went out onto the deck. We could not get back in through those sliding doors – that broom handle was doing its job well!
Unfortunately, Ron had also locked the front door, knowing that we were staying in for the night. And no – we had not yet memorized the front door code.
All of that wouldn’t have been so bad, except we left our phones, keys, wallets, computers – everything inside the house when we went out onto the deck.
We were locked out. First night, a rental, an Airbnb, and no way to contact the owner for the front door code.
There was no opening, no way to get in.
What would you have done?
Ron tried to force the sliding glass door open, but it wouldn’t budge out of its track. I tried a set of numbers for the front door, hoping I remembered the correct sequence of digits. Of course, I had not.
I didn’t want to break the glass … besides there were no easy window entries.
We could think of only one thing to do: introduce ourselves to the neighbors, ask if we could use their phone to access Airbnb, and contact the owner for the code.
So, Ron, being the only one with shoes, went door to door looking for a neighbor who could help.
He came back after checking in at four homes, finding only one family home eating dinner. No luck.
We discussed the situation again, and out he went, hoping to find another neighbor who could help.
I heard “John” as he came around the corner of the deck with Ron. He was so kind, emphasizing how often people get locked out of their rentals.
He offered his phone so that I could log in to Airbnb to connect with the owner and obtain the front door code. Unfortunately, Airbnb wanted to confirm my identity by pinging my phone—the very one that was inaccessible and locked inside the house. So that idea was a bust.
Then “John” said, “You know, I know the owner, and I bet my wife knows how to contact him. She is at a book club tonight, let me call her and see if she can help.” He was on the phone for just a minute and said to Ron, “Try these digits on the door.”
And just like that, we were rescued.
God sent the just-right person to rescue us!
Lesson learned … don’t leave a new rental without a phone! And memorize the door code right away!
