The Lost-and-Found Shelf

The lost-and-found shelf at the swimming pool held a blue hat, two water bottles, and a small toy submarine. Elliot noticed the submarine while waiting for his sister. It had a working propeller and looked much better than the one he owned.

The attendant explained that someone had left it behind that morning. Elliot imagined the owner forgetting it completely. Perhaps after a while the toy would be given away, and perhaps he could ask for it first. He kept looking toward the shelf instead of watching his sister finish her lesson.

Then he remembered losing a model car at a park the year before. He had searched under benches and gone home upset because he could not find it. He would have been grateful if someone had helped return it rather than hoping it became theirs.

A little later a younger boy arrived with his father. They searched the benches near the changing rooms. Elliot heard the boy describe a yellow propeller. He walked over with his mother and pointed them toward the attendant's desk.

The boy identified the submarine and held it close while his father thanked the attendant. Elliot felt a small disappointment as the toy left the shelf. He also knew that it was going home with the person who had missed it.

On the journey home, his mother listened while he admitted both feelings. Doing right did not always remove the wish to have something. It gave him a good way to respond to that wish without allowing it to govern his behavior.

Jesus teaches us to consider how we would want to be treated. That instruction helped Elliot remember the child behind an attractive object. The submarine was not an opportunity created for him by someone else's carelessness. It was a possession another child was searching for. A little attention and a simple direction to the right desk allowed Elliot to become part of the happy return instead of quietly wishing the loss would continue.