Recently, we went on our annual RV trip and headed to Colorado and the Black Hills of South Dakota. The highlight of our trip was this fantastic place called Sylvan Lake, a perfect spot for swimming, hiking, kayaking, and family fun.
In the middle of the lake, there are huge rocks that became a straight calling to my boys to take on adventure. They decided to swim out to the rock in the freezing cold water and climb to the top. “Come on mom; this is what men are made of”!
I observed as they swam and then climbed, realizing that if I needed to, I could also swim out to get them if they ran into trouble. They made it and then decided to move on to a series of challenging climbs. At one point in their quest, however, I lost one of my boys. I couldn’t see him on any rock, or in the slate blue water.
Panic.
When you can’t find a child, there is panic. There is no feeling of “Oh, well. I still have two more. Let’s go.” Just pure panic. You will search and fight and search and fight until that child is found.
Maybe you know the feeling.
There is a place in the Bible where Jesus is telling a group of listeners… a group of flat out outcasts… about a Shepard who had 100 sheep and one went missing. The Shepard didn’t say, “No big deal, I have 99 more.” No. He leaves the 99 to find the missing one. He will fight and search and fight and search until the last one is accounted for. Then he will gather his friends and neighbors and say, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep!”
Then Jesus said to the outcasts, “I tell you that in the same way the Shepard rejoiced, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Here’s the thing. We are all outcasts. We are all sinners. At some point, we have all lost our way, and the amazing thing is that God, in His reckless love, will fight and search and fight and search until we are back in his arms.
At the lake, I finally found my son. I rejoiced.
When our Savior finds us, and we acknowledge our need for Him, He rejoices.
There is a song that might feed your soul today. It’s about the overwhelming, reckless love God has for us. Beautiful words sharing the truth that God will search for you and fight for you. He wants you to be found. Listen to this today and know He won’t ever stop pursuing you. HLLF – Melissa
