The Lodestar

Finding lost things is immensely joyful. I could not express my feelings when I found my precious pen after long years in the drawer. I had come to terms with the loss when it turned up while cleaning my table.

However, nobody risks what they possess to seek the little they lost.

Jesus told the story of the shepherd and his one hundred sheep to explain that each of us is valuable to him. The shepherd lost one sheep of his flock—it strayed away, got caught in a thicket, or fell into a deep gorge. When he counted the flock at the end of the day, he found one was missing. He left the ninety-nine and searched until he found the lost one.

Instead of walking it to the pen, he carried it on his shoulders, inviting everyone he met to a party that evening. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost” (Luke 15:6). The evening party was not for the ninety-nine but for the one that was lost and found.

The Lord is a vigilant Shepherd who is concerned about the ones who stray away from him. Never leaves the lost but goes after it until it is found. He did it for Peter, who went back to fishing, and he chased Paul on the way to Damascus. He did it for me many times and might have done it for you, too.

The lost do not just turn up but are found by the saviour. The Hymn writer says, “I once was lost, but now I am found, blind, but now I see.” That is the beauty of Amazing Grace!

Pause and reflect: Are you the one who’s wandered off, or someone called to carry others home? Let the joy of being found stir your heart. Share this story with someone who needs to be reminded: You are worth the search.

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