Real Life Lost-and-Found

I have lost some things.

We all have, but I have thought about the following items periodically since the day I lost each of them.

• The birthstone ring my mother gave me when I was 16. The last I remember seeing it was on the floor next to my bed.
• The necklace featuring a gold heart with a diamond chip in it. The last I remember seeing it was when I carefully hung it on the centered double-hook in my high school gym locker just before gym class.
• The gold bracelet with a diamond arrangement that matched my engagement ring. The last I remember seeing it was putting it in a plastic Ziploc bag for Goodwill because I was working quickly and thought it was a gold claddaugh bracelet that I never wore.
• The photo collage of my brother. I last saw it 7 years ago when I packed it in a box to move to our current home. Where, oh where, did it go? I told my husband just last week that if I ever find the photo montage of Dan, I am going to squeal, rush to get a hammer and nail and then hang it “right there” as I pointed to a blank space on my office wall. I still lay in bed at night periodically wondering where a stray bin or box might be that was never unpacked.
• The gold cuff bracelet engraved inside with the initials of each member of our blended family. For at least ten years, I had never taken the bracelet off.

What cannot be lost.

36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Matthew 8:36-37)

I have lost some items that have worldly and sentimental value, but I have gained what can never be lost or taken away.

• I have accepted Christ’s death on the cross for the payment for my sins.
• The Holy Spirit of God lives in me and sometimes shows when I am a surrendered vessel to God’s nature instead of mine.
• I am going to live for eternity after I die on earth.
• My life is saturated with the presence of God everywhere I go. God is in me and around me. God and I have a relationship. It’s like taking my best friend along. He knows everything about me even when I don’t know who I am. I can say a sentence all wrong in prayer, and Jesus translates for me. (Romans 8:34) God knows exactly what I mean.

We search for lost things.

For weeks, I stopped at the jewelry counter of the Goodwill store where I donated the diamond bracelet hoping I would see its glimmer through the glass case. After a while, I prayed that whoever got it realized it was not costume jewelry and enjoyed it as a gift from God.

I lost the cuff bracelet when I went to a grocery store in the rain one night. As I got out of the car, I thought I heard a clink on the ground, so I stopped to check that I had my keys. I was jostling my purse and umbrella while dodging raindrops and puddles.

Now I know. I did hear something fall on the ground. For weeks I checked the lost and found drawer at the customer care counter. I am certain security cameras gathered footage of me walking all around that area checking closely under cars and investigating the mulch in the nearby landscaping. I looked odd, but I had lost something really important to me.

God searches for lost souls.

God also searches for what is really important to Him.

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15: 8-10) In Luke 15 you can also read the about the lost sheep and the lost son.

• God searched for you like this until you were found.
• God may be searching for you like this right now. Let Him find you.
• God is searching for your friends and family like this.
• God is searching for everyone on the globe like this.

Do we search for lost souls too?

Do we search for souls like God does when we enter our workplace? Do we bring up spiritual things as we are able and appropriate for the relationship?  Do we pray for each of our colleagues and neighbors? Are we viewing people as lost coins? Are we lighting lamps and sweeping and searching carefully without stopping until we find them?

Are we sitting back or searching hard?

Picture Explanation: It’s been all about the baby lately. Did you know that in the span of one week a baby can learn to crawl, play peek-a-boo and take naps alone in his crib? It’s possible! 

And the photo montage? Yes, that is the one I lost in the move. If you find it, please contact me immediately!

Speaking of living life with souls in mind: If you are interested in being contacted to participate in a One Gritty Blink Bible study, click on the Oaks Ministries link below and send me an email so I can place you on a list to be contacted as online and face-to-face studies are planned. Let’s not just focus on things in this short life, but also what counts for eternity!

Note: No part of my posts are derived from A.I. Thoughts and writing stem from my mind and heart as I process life week-by-week and continue to grow in my understanding of God and how to apply His wisdom to the world around me.

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