The Luggage Lock

It was just a simple luggage lock.
I found it in a drawer near my desk when I was looking for something else.
I brought it to my husband in his office.
Do you have any idea of the three digit code for this lock? I asked him.

We tried all the obvious numbers we could think of, but none of them worked.
There were no instructions, so we had no idea how to reset the lock.
All of our grandchildren were coming over for dinner that weekend.
We knew our oldest grandson would love the lock.

Being the only one to have it, would make him feel even more special.
But to open it; that was the problem.
I noticed a small card in the bag which contained the lock.
It was the business card of our dentist before he retired.

On the back of the card. he wrote the name of an Irish pub.
He knew that our entire family (seven of us at the time) were going to Ireland.
It was 2014, and before everyone went off on their own.
An empty nest literally happened in the same week when we returned from our trip.

We had three graduations that year in a span of two weeks.
We had our son’s college graduation on a Saturday.
The next day was our oldest son’s graduation from law school.
Two weeks later was our youngest daughter’s graduation from high school.

Instead of graduation parties, my husband decided that we should go on this family trip.
It was such a special time for all of us.
When we returned, life was going to send our sons off on their own and our daughter to college.
Our two oldest daughters already lived in an apartment together.

The lock must have been mine from that trip.
I had forgotten all about it.
The name of the Irish pub was suggested as a fun place to visit, near the Cliffs of Moher.
I don’t think we ever went to it.

As I showed my husband the business card with the name of the pub on it, I saw something.
In the upper corner, in very small writing, were three numbers.
It would be just like me to put something significant in an “obvious’ but not so obvious place.
Could this be the numbers? I asked him hopefully.

He turned each little dial until the third number was entered.
The lock opened.
We both smiled and said together, He is going to love this!
I put the lock back in the bag, sealed it, and kept it for him until the weekend.

He loves his Pop-Pop and always wants to talk about all sorts of things.
Since it had just been Pi Day, my husband sent a ridiculous song to everyone.
It was the Pi song to 400 digits.
Our grandson loved it.

He says he wants to be a pilot.
Being four-years-old, that may change, but he does have a mind for science.
After watching the Pi song, my husband took the bag out and showed him the lock.
Our grandson opened it and locked it again until he was comfortable.

Then, he went around telling everyone that he had a secret code to a special lock.
He wanted them to try to open it, but of course no one could.
He did tell his daddy the code, and of course, Grandma and Pop-Pop knew.
Besides the three of us, it was his special lock that only he could open.

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. (Revelation 3:7)

God is sovereign.
He has the only key.
What He shuts and locks, no one can open.
What He opens and unlocks, no one can shut.

We had to rely on the tiny numbers at the top corner of a business card.
Without them, the lock could not be opened.
Our grandson was so pleased that he had the secret code.
But God is sovereign; He open and closes for our good and His glory.

Isn’t that comforting?