Finders Keepers

The last few posts have focused on a look at the lost. We’ve meditated on those who have lost their way and on the importance of not harshly and quickly reverting to judging them for we are but one misstep away from walking right into their shoes ourselves. Today, we are going to turn our eyes to the other character in these stories: The Finder.

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Luke 15: 3-6

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? Luke 15: 8

In both of these parables, Jesus tells us how the Owners have lost something…something extremely precious…something extremely valuable. For what is the Shepherd without His sheep? And what is a lone woman without her livelihood? Inevitably, the owners in the stories don’t think twice about abandoning all else in search of what they have lost. It means that much.

Very unlike that, when what we lose is not that important, our desire to get off our behind to go looking for it is severely diminished. Take my son Dylan, for example, most of his possessions have been given to him, meaning, they have cost him nothing, hence, they are worth nothing to him other than the pleasure they bring him while he is enjoying them. Therefore, when one of such things is lost, he doesn’t care much. I have to push him into actually making a decent effort to find it. Yeah, whatever…I’ll get to it later after my show is over…

In the meantime, I am frantically sweeping the house looking for the darn thing…why? Because to me it IS valuable…I PAID FOR IT!

Well…

Imagine how Christ feels every time we choose to walk away from His loving arms. He paid for it…He paid it all…but to us…

Sigh…

Just like Dylan forgets or doesn’t stop to think about how much that toy, shoe or gadget cost me, we often also forget that even though Grace is a gift, it is not free. It costs the precious blood of The Perfect Lam. I guess the thing is that, like ungrateful children, we take it for granted. We don’t appreciate the gift, let alone the price Jesus paid so we can have it. Therefore, it is all too easy for us to just walk away one day and lose our path. Jesus, however, can’t stand it. He can’t just keep launching merrily while we wander off. He goes after us immediately…He goes after us, searching and sweeping all around until He finds us.

Praise be to Him, Our Heavenly Finder, the Giver of Life, the One Who Ransoms us with His blood.