Are You Lost?

A few weeks ago, we took a friend of ours to a local craft fair and were greatly amused by a sign near the parking lot. Husbands If Lost Wait Here. It made us all chuckle, especially when Jonathan agreed to pose for this picture. I wonder how many husbands patiently waited by the sign while their wives were exploring the crafts with the checkbook! How many people actually get lost at a craft fair? There was a large crowd that day, but would you actually stand around waiting to be found?

What about those people in our lives who are lost spiritually? Are they waiting to be found? In Luke 15 Jesus shares his view:

Luke 15:4-6 Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not 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. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'

He didn't say he went out to find a group of lost sheep, or a couple of lost sheep...he searched for the one lost. Do you notice the one friend who is missing from the kingdom? The one family member? The one co-worker? Jonathan and I feel called to minister to the lost people of Hungary, but would be go for one lost Hungarian? Would you go for one?

Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

I think the reality is that Jesus came to this earth to die for us...and he would have come and died for one of us.

Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty

Having a toddler really opens your eyes to a new world. Simple things become challenges, mundane things become new and fascinating...it's all in the eyes of the beholder.

This summer we took a family vacation to the beach. It was the first time for Carter to ever see the ocean. What a special moment it was to step into the sand with him and experience it anew. Each seashell was a treasure to collect; every wave caused a twinge of panic. Oh to see things as a child sees. Unlike most boys, however, Carter does not like to get his hands dirty. Sand or dirt on his hands or shoes is inspected with concern and a desire to brush it away. Much to our dismay, after a few visits down to the shoreline we were carrying him everytime we inched near the sand. There was no sandcastle building or burying of toes, just tears and clinging arms around our necks. We find humor in the experience now, but it was a cause of frustration when we were there.

I was thinking today about how many times we miss out on an experience or an opportunity because we are not willing to get our hands dirty. Sometimes, I will admit, it just seems like a lot of hard work serving God. It seems easier to just not get involved. But the reality is "world-changers wear work gloves." A pastor reminded us of this a few weeks ago. "Spectators never know the fulfillment of participants." Am I willing to be an active participant? Am I willing to get my hands dirty? Bill Hybels wrote "Nothing can be compared to the thrill of serving God, of truly being used by Him to make an eternal difference in the lives of people and advancing His purposes in the world."

We didn't want Carter to miss out on the beach and I don't want to miss out on what God has for me. I'm sure in time that Carter will overcome his aversion to dirt and he will have a beach experience that will go down in the memory books...until then, we'll have to be the ones getting our hands dirty.