The Longboard Prayer by Catherine Weiskopf

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6-7 The Message)

A fishing trip turned bad when my son Ben called home one night to report his and a friend’s longboard had been stolen. For those of you who haven’t been around teens lately, a longboard is a stretched out skateboard, with a matching extended number of digits on the price tag.  Longboards are also easily identifiable. My son’s has a bright blue background with an artist rendering of an Indian chief on its underbelly.

Grabbing my keys and heading out, I drove to the scene of the crime and listened to the boy’s description of their earlier unfolding drama.

“We were fishing and our boards were under the bridge,” my son said. “We saw three high schoolers running away from us carrying our boards.”

“It was one guy and two girls. One girl wore a purple hat,” his friend added.

As the boys waited for the police to arrive, I felt certain that whoever stole the boards lived in the only nearby neighborhood. I decided to drive that neighborhood.

I prayed as I went, “Dear God, help us find these boards if it’s your will.”

Up and down each street I drove, praying and asking people if they’d seen kids on longboards. No one had. I drove around for about ten minutes and then my cell phone rang.

“Mom the police are here. Come back,” Ben said.

“I’ll try but I’m a little turned around.” Our streets in this part of Texas are not laid out in a grid and I wasn’t sure which way was back.

Making a couple of turns, trying to get going the right direction, I rounded a corner and my eyes landed on two girls up ahead casually strolling down the left-hand sidewalk.

One girl held a longboard. A girl with a purple hat!

Feeling like a detective on a crime show, I let up on the gas. There cradled against her body was my son’s Indian chief longboard.

I was certain the Lord was answering my earlier prayer as I quickly pulled over and jumped out of the car. I strode across the street never taking my eyes off the girl in the purple hat. Oblivious for a second to the concerned  mom approaching her, she left the sidewalk and headed for a nearby house.

Coming up to her quickly, she saw me and instantly put the board on the ground.

“That’s my son’s longboard,” I said forcefully now about five feet from her.

She was silent.

“You stole it,” I added.

Nothing.

“Where’s the other one?” I asked finally looking around at the other girl and a boy who had emerged from the house.

“I don’t know,” said the boy.

“I’m calling the police,” I warned pulling my phone out of my pocket and beginning to dial.

“I think it’s inside,” said the boy.

“Go get it,” I said.

The boy went inside and came out with the other board. 

There were no words from them; just stunned silence as I gave them a lecture and then strode back to the car, boards in hand, amazed at how God placed me in exactly the right place at the right time.

Later telling the story to a friend of how God helped me find my son’s board he asked, “Why would God care if Ben got his longboard back?” I admit it does seem strange sometimes what God chooses to intervene in and what he doesn’t. 

But to me it proves that God cares about the small parts of our lives as well as the big. My answer back was, “I don’t know God’s purpose:

It may have been a faith building mission for all involved.

It may have been a “straighten up” mission for the culprits. Quite possibly these teens needed to be scared out of bad behavior by a wild-eyed mother.

It may also be a story that circulates throughout the middle school, enough drama to be a great story, that can plant seeds of faith wherever it lands.

And maybe it’s because God really cares about two teens and their good clean fun.”

But one thing I am sure of is God had a purpose and He cares about the little, and the big, and He wants us to pray about absolutely everything, even a bright blue longboard with an artist rendering of an Indian chief on its belly!