Lost but now am found!

And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  Luke 15:9

Last night my wife and I were at dinner with some friends and, as we began to leave the restaurant, she realized that her wedding band was not on her hand. The ring that was missing is not the ring I gave to her on our wedding day because a few years ago we noticed the diamond had fallen off of her ring and it was never found. The ring we were now looking for was her grandmother’s wedding ring. Not only did it represent her commitment to me but it also represents the love she has for her grandmother. It is also one of the few reminders she has of her grandmother. She remembered she had removed the ring during a workout session at a place in downtown. Well, that is at least the excuse she came up with! Sounds kind of suspicious to tell your spouse that you lost your wedding ring on a Sunday night in downtown but I knew it was true. We hurried home, dug through pockets of clothes that may have been worn, emptied purses several times, and searched under every car seat, but with no luck. My wife was obviously very upset about this loss and I completely understood. I have a few notes from my grandmother and an ugly stuffed clown but I would fight anyone who tries to take these simple items. It’s all I have to remind me of my grandmother. I encouraged her to believe it would be found at one of the places we have visited since the last time the ring was worn. I also prayed several times throughout the night for the ring to be found. I did not care if it took a few days, if the owner of the gym found the ring, or if it just appeared and we never knew where it had been. We woke up the following morning and I searched the car one more time. Each time I felt the edge of a coin that was stuck in the seat cushion I became excited but quickly was let down again. I did however make about $1.50 in change!  My wife left for work with plans to stop by the gym to search for the ring. She called later with the good news of the ring that had been found. She said the ring was found behind a sofa by a young girl working at the gym. We were both thankful that what had once been lost, was now found.

The past twelve hours of my life have reminded me of several things. First, I learned I need to vacuum under the seats of our cars more often. Second, is the Parable of the Lost Coin from Luke 15. Jesus asks the disciples, “If a woman has ten silver coins but loses one, doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? I thought of this while searching under the seats of my wife's car with a flashlight last night! Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that when the woman finds the lost coin, she calls her friends and they rejoice together. And, when a sinner, who was once lost but has now been found, repents there is rejoicing by God in the presence of the angels. Third, I am reminded of the most famous church hymn, Amazing Grace. Everyone knows this song, or should, but it says, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see”.

Most of all, I think about how God searches for us until we are found and saved. We may not want to be found or we may tell Him to "leave us alone," but He continues to search. And when He finds us, He rejoices with the angels.

Also kind of cool that, even with all the big problems of the world, He still had time to answer a prayer about a lost ring.

Chad

"Even the pagans do that"

And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Matthew 5:47

I read a statistic a few weeks ago that said the average person will meet approximately 10,000 people during their lifetime. We may live in a small town and know everyone's name or we may live in a large metropolitan city and know very few people by name.  We may spend our day in a school or business crowded with many people or we may work alone in a small office.  I began imagining how big that number would grow to if we also counted all the people we interact with each day without introducing ourselves or asking for their names. The cashier at the grocery store, the person on the elevator, the waiter in the restaurant, or the person who walks in while we hold the door, are too many to count. What if we included the people we speak to on the phone, email, or interact with on social media? Our group of ten thousand could pretty soon become 100,000. If I add all the people that my wife, daughter, son, daughter-in-law and I meet, or just interact with for a brief moment, the number could be well over 500,000 people in our lifetimes.

But, our days are busy, we are hustling from one place to another, and there is not enough time to stop, ask someone for their name, and get to know them. However, I believe we can have a lasting impact on people and we are told to do so by our Heavenly Father. We are told in Matthew 5:47 that if we only greet the people who are our family or who we call friends we are doing no more than the pagans. Even the pagans have family and friends who they love, care for, and treat with respect.

Each of us, regardless of age or job title, will spend a portion of our day meeting, greeting, or talking to others. Some we know personal details about, others we only see on occasion, and others we will only see for a single moment in our lives. By the end of our lives we will have interacted with approximately 10,000 people.  What an awesome responsibility God places on each of us to show His Son to each of these people regardless of the length of time we speak  or how well we get to know them.

Our Heavenly Father expects us to do more than others. Many people will go throughout this day and never notice the many lost people around them. I prayed today to take a few seconds with each person I encounter, look them in the eyes when I speak, listen to them, and treat them with respect. We never know who will see us and hear our words, wonder what makes us different, and later discover it is our Savior living within our hearts.

Chad

But a Samaritan

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  Luke 10:33

My daughter and I were talking a few nights ago and I jokingly told her that I could put every person on the earth into one of three categories.  I probably should not group people into categories but the more I thought about our conversation I realized there may be some truth.  These categories have nothing to do with family background, bank account size, education level, or nationality.  I hope you will understand my point, maybe get a small laugh, and a bit of encouragement.

The first category is filled with what I call the “Problem Makers”. These are the people who most would describe as selfish and spend their time causing problems with little to no regard for others well being or happiness. This group is fairly large and they range from young to old, represent every nationality, come from dysfunctional families, and they come from great homes. They are only looking out for themselves and they are the reason for most of our problems and laws in our country. They are also the most negative because instead of trying to make something better, they make every situation worse.

Category two consists of the people I like to call the “Problem Finders”. These are the people who criticize every person, event, and place. They are the first to point out the problems and usually are the first to say, “Someone should fix this”. They are excellent at finding problems and pointing out how someone should solve the problem, but they never do anything themselves. They go through life searching for every flaw, criticizing everyone else, but never lift a finger to help repair one of the many problems they have found. They often say, “Someone should fix this”, but they never realize they are also, “Someone”.

The final category consists of the people I like to call the “Problem Changers”. These are the people, regardless of wealth or family background, who see a problem, make a plan to fix a small part of the problem, and go to work to make a change. They also know that “Someone” should fix the problem but they believe they are the only “Someone” who can. The “Problem Changer” does not go through their life with blinders on pretending there are no problems. They recognize the many problems of our world but hope to be the one who makes a small change.

In the story from Luke 10 we can see all three categories. Of course, the robbers are the “Problem Makers”. They had robbed the innocent man as he made his trip from Jerusalem to Jericho. They woke up on that day and looked for a problem to make. The Priest and the Levite were the “Problem Finders”. They did not rob the man or cause him anymore harm but, when they found the problem they simply went to the other side of the road and passed by. They probably looked at the man who was lying beside the road and said, “Someone should help him”. However, we also see the “Problem Changer” in the Samaritan. The Samaritan also had work to do on that day, was hurrying to an appointment, or had concerns of his own but he saw a problem and found a way to make a change. The Priest and the Levite saw the problem and asked themselves, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” The Samaritan saw the same problem but he reversed the question and asked himself, “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” (Dr. Martin Luther King)

The world has plenty of “Problem Makers” and each of us occasionally finds ourselves in the “Problem Finder” category, but God needs more “Problem Changers”. Making problems or finding problems does not take any special talent, intellect, or training. We are all certainly capable of being excellent Problem Makers or Finders. Being a “Problem Changer” also does not require special skill but it does require faith, trust, and mercy. The faith to trust God to lead us to the place He needs us, the trust to allow Him to speak through us, and the same mercy He shows to us everyday.

Chad