December 18 – “Stuck in an elevator”

Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?   Oh, wait.  Before I go into that I guess I should admit that my morning was not very fun.  I had one of those "spastic colon" stomach aches that only someone like Anna Allen who has been there can adequately understand.  The tough part of it is that even when it begins, I know that it's going to keep hurting until it runs its course.  There's no amount of Zantac that helps.  Sometimes there are brief periods of respite, but until it is completely finished … watch out.  I thought I was finished at one point, but ended up "requiring the facilities" at WalMart.  Apparently there is nothing that can be done about it.  Probably in my head – stress related and all that.   So back to the elevator.  I stopped by Alamo School to pick up several boxes of books.  A pastor out in California actually donated 50 sets of books to be distributed to the Galveston area pastors.  Now, Alamo school is one that the Galveston school district has stopped using for classes.  It was somewhat damaged by the storm, but the district is allowing a relief organization, "Somebody Cares Galveston" to use it for a year.  They were the book distributors.  I went with two of the workers to the back of the school where two of us entered the elevator.  The one with me joked, "If you don't hear from me soon, come get us."  The other replied, "You're right.  We have been having problems with this one, haven't we?"  All in good fun, I thought.  That is, until the doors began to close and the worker with me started checking for a cell phone.  She said, "I have three cell phones and left them all at the front desk.  Do you have yours?"  Mine was sitting in my truck.  Should it be in my pocket?    The car began moving upward, and we both breathed a little easier.  We watched the readout of numbers anxiously to see when we would reach our destination.  Now, that's an interesting elevator phenomenon, isn't it?  Next time you're in one, watch people's eyes.  Invariably they watch the readout.  All it's going to do is count up or down, one number at a time.  And in most cases you don't have to watch, because they have installed that little "Ding" at each floor.  It's usually very quiet in elevators, and in most cases everybody faces the door.  Except when there are those little handlebars things on the side.  Then those people fortunate enough to be nearby will hang on to that for dear life.  Want to have a little fun?  Next time you get in an elevator, face the back, look directly at someone and ask them what time it is.  They will have to look away from the number and actually say something out loud.  Not an easy elevator task.   Just as we began to relax and talk the little "Ding" sounded and we both looked expectantly at the door.  Except it didn't open.  My companion chuckled nervously and again checked her pockets for a cell phone.  The door didn't open.  She reached over and pushed the "Open Door" button.  The door didn't open.  She pushed it again, several times in rapid succession (You know, you've done it, too).  The door didn't open.  I pushed it.  Nope.  The she jumped at the door, slammed into it with both hands, and jumped quickly backward.  The door didn't open.  But I jumped, too.  Scared me.  She did that one more time before she explained that she had been injured once in an elevator accident so she was more than a little freaked out.  Then she reached over and hit the alarm button.  It worked.  Really loud.  I was beginning to think I had seen this movie.  The door didn't open.   Finally I stepped up.  Did the superman thing.  I stuck one hand on each door and pulled them apart with my bare hands.  We were about six inches from where we were supposed to be.  Just enough for the door's built-in safety mechanism to keep it closed.  It's Ok.  We escaped unscathed and took the stairs down.   I imagine there are plenty of people who get really close, but not quite there in their search for God.  Psalms 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."   Father, I want to be close to you.  But honestly, sometimes I just don't want to be brokenhearted, and certainly not crushed in spirit.  Please don't hold those "it's all about me" times against me.  Amen.