One afternoon three weeks ago, I accidentally left my go-to Sony A7-III on a bench by the Bob Jones Trail. The following morning, after discovering the error of my ways, I said a prayer, crossed my fingers, and returned to see if was still there. Nope. Gone.

I checked multiple places; placed lost-and-found ads on Nextdoor, Craigslist, and Facebook; checked with the sheriff; alerted my friends; and we all did a lot of praying. My daughter searched like a bloodhound in every nook and cranny. Nothing. I tucked my glimmer of hope in the back of my mind, adjusting to the fact that my camera was only a material thing, trusting that God knew all about it...I didn’t. So, I left the issue with him and tried to find some good in it all, putting a retired Canon and iPhone to use. Time to move on.

Then, I got a couple of leads with a phone number, which I called. No answer, so I left a message. I eventually got a returned call from a woman named Jennifer, telling me she had found a camera in the area of my loss. She wisely interrogated me for details about the camera. I passed where others had failed. Thank God for Jen, and my posse of friends! Sunday, I was reunited with the camera that had become an extension of my arm. It is a part of me. I can change the settings by feel in the dark, and it responds.

Stories like these have rich details that get left behind, but the main points glow: The nectar of life is found beyond material things. Gain can come from loss. A network of friends is stronger than a spider web. Do your best; then, give it to God. He still answers prayers. Be patient, and trust. Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re stupid...necessarily. :-) Make sure you’re grounded, and know you’re a child of God, especially when you’re out on a limb.

—Larry Smith