Grace in a Lost Key

Last week, I had the pleasure of going on a road/camping trip across this beautiful country we call, America!  The family + the god-daughter had a blast...but more on that later in the week.

Although, I am the Director of Fun for our family, the hubsters planned this trip to the "T".  When we finished dinner and started to get the kids settled down after the second day of jam packed activities and we couldn't find the car keys, that was a HUGE event. 
He immediately said, "I gave the keys to you...where are they?"  He knew and I knew that he had not given me the keys, but of course I'm the natural scapegoat, especially when it comes to something that is lost.  This type of event, had my name written all over it.  The sun was pretty much setting at this time, so we grabbed our lanterns and flashlights and looked all around our cabin, the van, in suitcases, around the picnic area, but no key.  LaMar said he was going to re-trace his steps around the KOA to see if he could find the key.  While he was gone, I hurried to put the kids to bed because 1) They were dog tired and 2) If he came back and I wasn't looking for that key, I would be in trouble (LOL).  Of course, he came back with no key and I was still trying to get the kids tucked in.  He said, "I don't know why you're playing around with them when we're going to be stuck here."  I could tell he was starting to get frustrated because this isn't like him to lose something and it was getting late.

I won't bore you with ALL the details, but we searched for the key for a good two hours.  We called the rental company, and they said we would have to get it towed to the nearest Dodge dealer and have another key re-made.  We were looking at a day and a half shaved off our perfectly planned trip of a lifetime, plus almost $300 in extra expenses that was not in our Vacation Envelope.  Let's not even mention calling and trying to change cabin and hotel plans that had already been paid for and had a strict "no cancellation" policy.  I finally said, "Let's just go to sleep and look for it a little more in the morning because either way we have to wake up early."  Just as I said that, the Spirit told me to look in the trash.  I asked LaMar if he had looked in the trash, and he said that he did.  However, I heard the Spirit clear as day, although I didn't particularly feel like digging through garbage.  I took a few moments to woman up and wake myself up.  I started pulling trash out one piece at a time, and what do you know, the van keys were the fourth item that I pulled out of the trash.

We were both overjoyed, but LaMar shocked me.  He grabbed me and just hugged me, and said, "Thank you and praise God."  After he released me, he said, "Now what did You want me to learn from this?"  He concluded that God wanted to show him that he was not perfect and that he can lose stuff as well.  Also, God wanted Him to extend grace to me when I fall short of his expectations.

Although, at this point it was around 1 a.m. after a day of going to two National Parks and one State Park, I was beat down, but I was happy for this teachable moment.  He learned to give me grace, and I learned the importance of not being a nagging wife.  The book of Proverbs says, "It's better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home" Proverbs 21:9 NLT.  In this whole ordeal, not once did I speak out against him, put him down, or bash him.  The thought never crossed my mind, and if I had, I'm not sure that our results would have turned out the way they did.

Have you ever been in a similar situation with your spouse?  How did you handle it?