The Lost is Found!
You guys! You’ll never guess what I found today! Well, I take that back. You saw the picture…
Some of you may recall that back in January I wrote an entry entitled “The Missing Piece.” It was inspired by the fact that my husband and I had worked very diligently to complete a 2000-piece puzzle, only to discover that there were only 1,999 pieces. We looked everywhere for that thing. I even made my husband empty the vacuum cleaner bag to check there. (That’s where all my hair is going!) We were finally resigned to the fact that we would likely never find the piece and decided to move on.
Well, today I wore a long sweater with deep side pockets that I haven’t worn for a while. I was serving in kids ministry this morning at church and at one point I put my hands in my pockets and felt something. I pulled it out and TA-DA! The missing piece was found! Apparently, I had worn this sweater one day while working on the puzzle and the piece must have fallen into my pocket from the edge of the table. I was glad I had taken a photo of the completed puzzle with the missing piece because we were able to verify that it is the correct coloring and shape of the empty space in the photo.
I am writing today to let you all know this because I am sure you’ve been full of anxiety about that missing piece. OK, not really. I’m writing to tell you about this because it immediately made me think of Jesus’ parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, all found in Luke 15 in the Bible. It’s great to have the other 1,999 pieces to that puzzle, but finding that single lost piece brings a sense of completeness and joy.
There are a couple ways to think about these parables. First, some of us are searching for answers in life and haven’t settled on the fact that they can be found in a relationship with Jesus. The pursuit for fulfillment can lead to all kinds of false religions, practices and temporary pleasures. But nothing this world offers can provide the freedom and contentment that a relationship with our Creator can give. When salvation through Christ is found, that is a treasure that brings peace, joy, hope and fulfillment. Even in the midst of chaos and hardship, we can rest assured that He is working to make us more like Him and one day we will be made perfectly complete for eternity.
The other way to think about this is that some of us don’t even know we are lost so we’re not searching for anything. That puzzle piece didn’t know it was lost. It found a cozy, comfortable home in my sweater pocket. But my husband and I had searched and pursued it. Jesus is pursuing those who don’t even know they are lost. I know many people who are “living their best lives” and are completely unaware of their need for an eternal hope. The riches of this world and the pleasures we pursue can give a false sense of stability and happiness that is really only skin-deep. The hope is that someday these individuals are made aware of their lost position so they can be made complete in Christ Jesus.
So today as I celebrate this lost puzzle piece that is now found, I am remembering my lost friends who need to be found and who need to find Jesus. They are on my heart and mind and they are in my prayers. For whom are you praying? Or if you are still searching, to whom can you go? As always, I welcome comments and messages. I appreciate you, Reader.
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Colossians 2:10)
