The Wedding Ring
By Mike Rule

When Becky and I got married I was determined to never take off my wedding ring. I was faithful to this for the first five years of our marriage but because I was working as a mechanic, Becky insisted that I stop wearing it for safety reasons. I grudgingly gave in to her request and have not worn it for almost ten years.

Recently I was compelled to take it out of the jewelry box, but was surprised to discover that it no longer fit me. I slipped it on my little finger intending to take it to the jewelers the next day to have it adjusted, then went on to do some yard work. I was settling into bed at about midnight that night when I had the panicky realization that the ring was gone. I felt sick to my stomach as I thought about how our wedding rings had once belonged to Becky's great-grandparents. I got out of bed and searched everywhere for the ring by flashlight, including down the drains in the house, all around the yard, and in the shrubs. It was nowhere to be found. The only other place I could imagine it to be was in a large barrel of yard waste which we had filled with spruce needles and dead leaves. I could not even think of trying to sort through that barrel at midnight, and I honestly had little hope of finding it. I finally surrendered the entire thing to God and went to bed. I prayed that His will would be done while also praying that I would accept His will no matter what the outcome.

We left town on ministry soon afterward without a chance to look through that barrel. Thoughts of the ring faded into the background as we went about the business the Lord had for us on our travels. Two weeks later we were once again doing yard work when we decided to sort through that huge barrel one handful at a time. Becky and I were spreading the leaves and needles around some of our trees as mulch when ten minutes into the project I heard Becky squeal with delight. I turned to see her beaming face gazing at my wedding ring which she held in her hand. The emotions of that moment were a bit overwhelming and as I gave thanks to God, I was reminded of the parable (in Luke 15:8-10) of the woman who had lost the coin.

Our God cares very much about the details of our lives and He feels our pain even in situations that are seemingly insignificant. However, He continues to teach me that His greater concern is our willingness to trust Him regardless of results. It is a challenge to want, accept, and love God simply for Who He is and not fall into the trap of wanting Him for what He can do for us. Once again our dependency is upon Him to keep us because we are so prone to wander. So often I want what God can do for me more than I want Him. He is always faithful to challenge me to die to self and surrender my desire for results so that He can give me His peace. Sometimes it will cost in ways I do not like, but God is faithful to show that whether or not there are results, He alone is enough.