The pawn shop mystery: God's grace when you least expect it

I have devoted entirely too much blog space to prattle about the 10 year wedding anniversary that my husband and I have been celebrating.  When we returned home from our extravagant anniversary
cruise, we realized that a number of personal items had either been stolen or left on the ship.  As we began replacing some of the items that did not return home with us, we surprisingly failed to notice that my husband's costly 14K gold class ring from the US Naval Academy was also missing. While the gold and gemstones in this ring make it valuable to most anyone, it represents some of the hardest, most formative years of my husband's life.  To him, this ring is both invaluable and irreplaceable.

We did not realize the ring was missing until I received a phone call from an officer at the Tallahassee Police Department.   She had been working on a series of misrepresentation cases and "just happened" to come across my husband's ring in a pawn shop.  The man who sold the ring to the pawn shop dealer claimed to have found it on the beach in the Bahamas.  We had neither been to Tallahassee nor the Bahamas.  When she called us, she informed us that we would either have to pay the pawn shop dealer the amount he paid for the ring (which is a LOT!) plus shipping, or if the man who sold the dealer the ring confessed and agreed to give the dealer his money back, then we would only have to pay shipping.

Today, we received the ring via Fed Ex without having to pay a penny, not even for postage.  However, I do believe a nice gift for the officer in charge is in order.

God's grace through this episode astounds me.   The Lord prevented us from discovering that the ring was missing to spare us needless worry.  Had I known about it sooner, I likely would have worn myself ragged calling the ship, every island we visited, and the Miami Police Department in search of that ring only to come up empty.  I seriously doubt I would have thought to call anyone in Tallahassee since it is located over 500 miles away from where we lodged in Miami.  It is only by God's miraculous intervention that we have that ring in our possession again.

Our loving Father spared me from fruitless activity and excessive worry.  He protected our marriage from needless tension.  He extended mercy when unexpected financial losses were bringing me down.  He gave us what we were missing before we even knew we were lacking.

⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  (Matthew 6:8)

Those who know me well and have heard my personal testimony know that God's protection and sovereignty have been dominant themes in my life.  Despite the repeated evidences He has already shown me of His perfect power and sovereign control over my life, I still am prone to worry. Yet, He gives me more grace and His mercies are new every morning.

"...But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. " (Romans 5:20)

For a different take on this story and to support my attempts to share Biblical truth in a secular setting, please read my Examiner article published here.