That Which Is Lost

Mark 16:15 – And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (KJV)

The phone rang. "Hello, Kathleen?"

"Yes," I answered, bracing myself to deal with a telemarketer.

"We have your wallet; you left it at the church."

I hadn't even noticed that my wallet was missing. Some good soul had turned it in, and a woman from church kindly brought it to my home. In it are my driver's license and other forms of identification, health insurance cards, library card, photos of my son, some cash, credit cards, gift cards, business cards, and the usual assortment of old receipts and coupons. My wallet is a mini-representation of who I am. If it had not been returned to me, I would have been in danger of identity theft. The repercussions of a lost wallet make me shiver. I think about the lost time in tracking things down, the lost cash, the cancelling and replacing of IDs, credit cards, etc., the pictures of my little boy in the hands of a thief. … I would not have been able to conduct my life normally until I'd replaced most of what is in it. And the longer I might have gone without knowing my wallet was missing (if it hadn't been returned), the greater the difficulties and entanglements. I would have eventually realized my loss, but when it was brought to my attention, through an act of kindness, it relieved me of a whole lot of angst.

I thought about how this is a picture of God's grace. Those who are spiritually lost might not realize that they are missing the essential element of their lives. They might be oblivious to that for a long time. Or they might be scrambling about, trying to replace or fill the hole left by what is lost, without realizing that it's held safely in the hand of Another, just waiting to be given to them. In my wallet scenario, the people at church did not wait for me to call and enquire if I'd left my wallet there. They knew I needed my wallet, called me, and actually brought it to me. I was very, very grateful. They were proactive. Contrast that with how shy I sometimes feel about telling others about Christ's love, about the riches in Him, and about how our identity can be in Him.

Are we proactive in telling others about Christ? They may or may not know that they are lost without Him, that they are missing that which is most essential in life and death. Let us think about the anguish that they may be spared if they knew, right now, that Christ loves them.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be led by You to tell others about Your wonderful love. Amen.

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