I have a friend who lives in Florida, on the beach. He loves metal detecting and often while he is on the beach, he is approached with a request to help find a lost ring.
He posts his finds during the summer and often times, there is a very grateful person pictured with him when he returns a ring that was thought lost forever.
I seem to misplace odd things most every day. From my phone I just had in my hands to my favorite pen at work, they are sought until found. There are lengths I will go to in searching though. If my pen at work doesn’t show up fairly soon, I just move on to the box in my desk drawer of those just like it.
You see, it depends on the value on how much or how long I will search for something. My phone? A good deal of time. A pen, not so much.
I am sure that if I were to lose a gold ring, especially a wedding or engagement ring at the beach, I would spend more than a few moments looking for it. I would also flag down the random guy with a metal detector and ask for help also. When the value is high, the effort to find the lost item is worth it to search in hopes of finding it.
Jesus told a parable or story about a lost sheep. In the story, the shepherd was in charge of 100 sheep. One of them wanders off. In the story, the shepherd leaves the 99 and goes in search of the lost one. The other 99 were safe, but one was in danger.
The shepherd’s job was to keep up with the sheep. So now, his job was to go find the wayward one, the one that didn’t follow directions. The one that maybe rebelled and said to the other sheep, “I’ll do things my way!” Maybe this sheep was an addict, maybe it was a hard headed teenaged sheep or maybe it was tempted or dared to skirt the cliffs.
Maybe you can relate. Maybe you have rebelled. Maybe you have been tempted and given in. Maybe you find yourself lost and adrift in this sea of life. Maybe you feel very far from God. Maybe you feel… lost, alone, afraid, sinful, ashamed….Keep filling in the blanks and you will keep feeling the same way.
Back to the story. The shepherd goes and finds the sheep and carries it back. He does not yell at it for being stupid or wandering off. He does not punish it for its rebellion or for getting lost. He lifts it up, carries it back and then rejoices.
If you find yourself a lost sheep, know that Jesus is looking for you. He may find you in a TV show, a song, a movie or by something you read. You may ask, “Why would He look for me?” It’s simple. You are valuable and lost, but He is not content to leave you that way.
That lost sheep, from Luke 15, was reunited with the other 99 by the way. It also mentions that there will be more rejoicing over one sinner who repents than over the 99 righteous people who did not need to repent.
Allow yourself to be found or find your way back. You are worth it. Jesus is still looking to find you and have a relationship with you. You matter that much! Remember that grateful smiling person that found a ring in my friend’s picture? That’s a look similar to Jesus when you are found!
Journey of Faith 