Lost and Found.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11

Have you ever been lost? My mom always recalls this story from her childhood when she wandered off from the uncle who was supposed to be watching her. She eventually made her way to safety when she ran into her grandma's friend, but that does not disregard the fact that for a period of time she was missing! 

The story she recalls in her mind is a funny childhood memory. She never mentions being afraid or confused. And the experience for her was just a good story. For my grandparents who lost her, the memory I can imagine, is a little different. Panicked, horrified, frantic; I assume these are the emotions they remember when they think of this scenario. They see the part of the story that called for a speedy search. And the joy they felt when they were finally reunited with their sweet, red haired child. 

More often than not, I think we can relate to the ones on the search. How many times do we lose things? I lose my cell phone almost daily. Sometimes I lose my keys, or my purse. Other times, I lose my mind. And no matter what I seem to lose, the fact is it is because something is missing. 

The missing is the exact cause of loss. It is that ache that tells us we are without something we should have. Whatever is missing; a thing, a person, a feeling, something in our heart says this is something we long to find. And so that ache begins a search.

The other day a phone call shattered my morning. My brother was missing. The 23 year old autistic boy who means everything to me had wandered off. The words cut my heart like a knife. Instantly, my world stopped moving. Everything that had mattered before, every worry that I had for the day ahead had suddenly disappeared. Only one thing mattered, finding the lost. The whole day stopped spinning  for my family at that moment. We searched by car and by foot. He was only gone for an hour or two and yet it felt like an eternity. And the funny part is he was completely fine on his own, doing exactly as he should be and completely oblivious to the fact that he was missing. But for us, who love him and NEED him in our lives, we would not stop searching until he was found. And thank God he was found. 

What happened that day was scary. But it was also a beautiful example of how God searches for each of us. The bible says that the shepherd will leave the flock to go after one lost sheep, but for the first time I think I really understood what that meant. When something, or someone, you love is missing, you will give anything to find them again. 

How much does that speak of God's love for each and every one of us...that He would drop everything to go in search of 

us! There is something that He desires and it is our hearts. A longing for each of us that will continue whether we realize we are missing or not. God is searching for you. He aches when you turn away. He searches. And He finds. 

We can run from His love. We can hide. We can be lost. But the Savior of the world will not call off the search.  Why? Because He loves us. He holds a desire for us to be united with Him. And His kingdom is missing something without us. 

Sometimes it feels like the world just might never notice if you suddenly disappeared. But the truth is, people would most certainly miss you. And what is more than that, you do not just matter to the people who love you, but you matter to God. And whether you are completely lost or just wandering slightly off the path, God will leave the flock to go after you! Let Him search for you and let Him find you. Open your heart and life to Him. Like my mom in her childlike ways and my free spirited brother, you may not even know how lost you really are until you find yourself being found.

There is that saying that says you do not know what you have until it is gone. Well, I think it goes the other way too! You do not know what you are missing if you have never had it. God wants more for you! Maybe even more than you think is enough. And He will not ever stop trying to show you that! That longing in your heart, that part that feels lost is Him showing you this truth. In finding you, God longs to fulfill the part of your heart that feels like it is missing.

We are all sheep to the shepherd. He wants all of us in the herd. You only panic when you lose your wallet, or your glasses, or your favorite jacket because in that moment, you cannot imagine your life without it. God has a plan that He imagines includes you. He wants you in it. He needs you in it. 

Stop being lost. Let in the God that seeks to find you!