Saturday, November 6, 2021

Lost and Found... With God

My First Time Being Lost

Getting lost for the first time can be traumatic for small children, but I think its actually more traumatic for their parents.  The first time I remember being lost I was about 5 and my family and I were moving to Vancouver Island.  My Dad was already working there and my Mom, my brother, and I were catching the ferry on our move to be there with him.    

These are not small ferries. The ferry we were on had multiple car decks, probably holding 150+ cars and 500+ people.  I loved ferry rides as they were a nice break from all the driving and still something of a novelty and adventure for us.  

Towards the end of this particular trip we heard the expected announcement telling everyone to return to their cars, so I calmly headed back to our car on the car deck with a crowd of other passengers.  After going down a couple of flights of stairs towards our car deck, I realized that my Mom and brother were not with me.  I thought 'I'll just stop here and hold the door open for everyone coming down.  Surely Mom and Paul will come along soon.'  But they never came.  

After several minutes of holding the door for everyone else, the crowd started to thin and I began to wonder where my Mom and brother were.  Just then a crew member showed up and asked if I was Perry McKenzie.  I said 'Yes' and she replied 'Oh good!  You better come with me then.  Your mother is pretty worried about you."  I followed her up to the captain's office where I was surprised to find my Mom in tears and quite relieved to see me safe and sound.

Now as a parent, I understand the concern, emotion, and potential perils of having a child missing on a large ship like that.  Puts a whole different spin on being lost.  I know - one of the first things a parent does in those situations is pray and ask God for help.  I'm glad God showed His faithfulness to us in that situation: protecting me, keeping me in good spirits, and helping me get found.  

Lost and Found - A Different Perspective

Its interesting to consider that the first question asked in the Bible is God asking Adam and Eve where they are.  Adam responds saying that they intentionally hid from God because they were naked and afraid. Sin separates us from God and makes us fearful and ashamed, like Adam and Eve.  The Bible says in Romans "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God",  so we all come into this world spiritually lost and separated from God - thanks to Adam.  

Jesus came to fix that, and find us.  He illustrates this in several stories you can read about in Luke 15:  The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son.  What I find interesting in these stories is the literal 'happy ending.'  The searcher is super happy at finding whatever was lost, and in two cases, throws a party!  Its so special to know God is intently looking for us lost souls and once found, He's so happy in the restored union with Him.

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