Searching with Diligence

It was nearing bedtime last night when it happened again. Amanda lost her "pappy". This, for those of you who don't know, is her pacifier. It's bright orange or pink, depending on which one she wants that day. It's hooked onto a string. The string has a clasp that hooks to her shirt. Still, she lost her precious "pappy" again. She doesn't like to have her string attached to her shirt anymore. Once it's hooked on, she usually pulls at it until it comes off, sucks on her pacifier for awhile, and then drops the thing whenever she gets bored with it, or distracted doing something else.
During the day this wouldn't be such a tragedy. I mean, who needs a little plastic nipple to suck on when you can play with your brothers and sisters outside, or when you can get into all kinds of things inside? (especially thing that belong to your older sister!) No, this couldn't happen during the day, it had to happen right before bedtime. The time when you need something comforting like a "pappy".
Well, the search began. She and I walked through the house calling her "pappy". Yes, I said calling it! I've found that first of all, it takes away her franticness to call out, "Pappy! Where are you pappy?". Second, its more fun to do this than to just walk around looking in every place imaginable (and unimaginable). Lastly, its just plain cute to hear a little 20 month old calling this out!
So, there we were, searching for "pappy" once again. As we retraced her steps from the last hour, (its amazing how many places a little girl can get in an hour!) I began to see a parallel to my own life. How many times have I cast aside the very things that are precious to me because I get bored with them or I get distracted with other things?
Take for instance my family. I love my family. I love my husband. I love my kids. But many times, I "drop them" for selfish reasons. I choose to sit and read a book instead of helping put on the superman cape for the 15th time. I need to "do some things" in the kitchen instead of playing a quick game of Go Fish. It seems like putting a cape on or playing a quick game wouldn't take much of my time, but so often I cast my family aside to do something really unimportant. When will I realize that it's nearing that time when I will need my family, that precious comforting group of people that I've so selfishly cast aside? Probably not until the time is at hand. Then, like Amanda, I will have to go searching for them. Hopefully, they will still be where I left them.
Our search for the precious pacifier ended. We found "pappy" right where she left it. Next to the game with all the little pieces dumped out on the couch! When I showed her my find, her excited reaction was wonderful to watch. She clapped her hands and shouted, "Pappy"!
I pray that my family is so precious to me that I would never cast them aside again. But if I ever do, I pray that I would rejoice as much in "finding" them as a little girl who finds her long lost "pappy".