Rejoice with me for I Have Found my Lost...Kindle

Yesterday I lost my Kindle. I had just returned from a mission trip and was looking to read a good book before returning to the long hours of studying that awaited me. I was startled when I felt through my bag and could not find it anywhere. I was certain I had packed it but find it when I was searching. I emptied my bag onto the floor and began desperately digging through my now disheveled belongings. I am pretty sure my roommates thought I was crazy when they saw my head literally inside my bag. I searched for about an hour but could not find the missing kindle.

So, I did the only thing I thought I could do—I called my mom. Obviously, as always, she was thinking more rationally than I was. She suggested I email the organization where we were staying to see if they found anything that was lost. With much persistence, I sent the email and this morning I got a response saying they had found a kindle. My mom is so smart!

This experience got me thinking about the parable of the lost things Jesus talks about in Luke 15. Each of his three lost things (a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son) begin with the recognition that something is missing. I did not know my kindle was missing until I realized it was not in my bag. They then require an all-out pursuit of that lost thing—hence the head in the bag. The shepherd left the ninety-nine just to find the one. The woman searched carefully. The father sat on his porch every day for hours waiting for his son to return. It requires a pursuit of what is lost. Lastly, when that thing is found it is cause for celebration! I’m pretty sure I sounded like a fifteen-year-old girl when I got the email this morning.

These parables and the story about my kindle reminds me that this is how God reacts when one of his kids is lost. He knows their situation. He is not just a master puppeteer in the sky moving strings and causing things to happen for His pleasure. He cares about us and through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus He began His all out pursuit for us. When you finally come home the Bible says that there is much rejoicing in heaven when even one person comes to Him (Lk. 15:7). We need to be in the business of celebrating these things too because they are a big deal!