Don’t Know You’re Lost by Miriam

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.  Luke 15:3-7 (ESV)

Several weeks ago I went to our zoo’s splash pad with my daughter-in-love, Lindsey, and four of my grandchildren. Technically, I was responsible for two of them — my daughter’s youngest two, Joanna and Willa. We had a wonderful couple of hours letting them splash around. A few minutes before we were going to leave, we let them play in a grassy area in the middle where there were some games to play. Lindsey and I sat on a bench a few feet away watching them. Every few minutes I was counting heads and making sure they were all there. We were both suddenly distracted by a little girl who was trying to get away from her momma. The next thing I know, I look up and can’t find Willa, who was two and a half at the time. I immediately jump up and and start running and screaming Willa’s name. As I ran I was calling out to the Lord to please help me find her. Lindsey was doing the same while also keeping her eyes on the other three children. After what felt like hours, but was actually about 5 minutes (still way too long), Lindsey came walking up to me with Willa in her arms. Willa had a dirty diaper and was trying to find me. I was so relieved and thankful!

Later that night when I was telling my husband what happened, I said, “Willa wasn’t rattled at all, while my heart felt like it would jump out of my chest.” Jim said, “Well honey, she didn’t know she was lost.” He was right. She was just looking for me to change her diaper. 

Too often people are walking around unaware of their lostness spiritually. You see, we were created with a void that only Jesus Christ can fill, but we keep trying to fill that void with other people or things. The Lord is waiting for us to accept His gift of salvation — provided by the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. But we believe what the world tells us — we are good people, we give to the poor, we don’t do anything horrible. But in Romans 3:10 the apostle Paul tells us:  “ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one…” It doesn’t matter how good we are or how kind or how loving. In John 3:16 we read where Jesus told Nicodemus “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus also told the parable of the Lost Sheep in the passage at the beginning of this devotion. God loves us that much — He sent His only son to die for us and He longs for us to come to Him like a shepherd who searches for his lost sheep (or like a Mimi who runs around like a crazy woman looking for her lost granddaughter).

Have you ever accepted God’s free gift of salvation? If not, I pray that you will — seek out someone who can share with you how you, too, can be found by the Lord. Maybe you accepted His free gift, but you have gotten a little lost since then. Maybe you have stopped reading your Bible or going to church where you can be encouraged and equipped in your relationship with the Lord. Call on the Lord — ask Him to help you find your way again. That doesn’t mean you lost your salvation. It means you just got a little lost from walking close to Him.