by Julie Land
“Or what woman, having ten silver [c]coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15: 8-10 (NLT)
I hate to misplace things. It doesn’t happen often, but when I do, I feel so frustrated and angry with myself. I work myself up to the point where I lose hope that I will ever find the lost thing. Recently, I misplaced a baggie of screws and hinges from a cabinet I painted. I remember putting them in the baggie, and I remember saying I was going to put that baggie somewhere safe so I wouldn’t forget where it was. Can I remember where that place is? Alas, no. Have I complained about the situation to my husband and best friend? You know it. Am I above praying about such a small thing as my lost
hardware? Definitely not.
When I find my hardware (and I will!), I am going to be so happy and relieved that I’m going to thank and glorify God. I’m going to text my BFF and my husband so they can share in my joy. I’m going to put that cabinet back together, and this act will be all the sweeter knowing that I could bring even small troubles to the Lord because He is the lover of lost things.
Dear Lord,
You are the finder and lover of lost things – lost sheep, lost hope, lost loves. Because I can confidently come to you for small rescues, I know that I can come to you with the larger losses in my life. Thank you for staying close to all of us who are hopeless and brokenhearted and thank you for reminding me that you care about all the things that are missing in my life. Amen