Lost Sheep

“Where were you, Mommy?” were the words that I heard my little boy say as we left the football game that night.

It was a typical Friday evening, and our family had gone to the football game in our small town. We were getting ready to leave and gathered up our three children. In an instant, we turned around and our middle child, Eli was gone. We could not find him anywhere and I began to panic. However, before I had a complete meltdown, a friend of ours came walking up and said they had found Eli in the parking lot crying.

In that moment, I was both angry with him for wandering off but so thankful that he was okay. All I could do was hug his neck and love on him. As I hugged him, he said, “Where were you, Mommy? Why did you leave me?”

When we got home that night and everyone was getting ready for bed, I sat down next to Eli to explain what had happened. I explained to him that he had made the choice to walk away from us. He did not wait for us and because of that, he had gotten lost and had put himself in a very dangerous situation. I began to cry as I held him and told him that I would never leave him and that I would always come after him. It broke my heart to know that he thought I was not looking for him or that I had left him even for a minute.

Don’t you know that God must feel this way sometimes? I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Parable of the Lost Sheep in God’s Word. So often, we wander off on our own trying to find the way. We put ourselves in situations that are dangerous or spiritually unhealthy. In these moments, many of us begin to question God. We begin to question His presence, His faithfulness, and even His love for us. But Jesus said in Matthew 18:12, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hill and go look for that one that wandered off?”

I believe that many times God must feel like I did when Eli was not by my side. I was hurt that he had wandered off and it broke my heart to know that he thought that I had left him even for a moment. I wanted him to understand that I did not leave him, but he left me. I believe that God wants us to understand that He does not leave us, we choose to leave Him.

So many times, I feel afraid or worried. I get anxious and allow Satan to convince me that I will never find my way back and no one is looking for me. But there is nothing further from the truth. You see, when we are lost, our Savior will ALWAYS come looking for us. If we will just call out, we will be saved. God has promised us that He is always with us.

As you go through your day today, think about the times in your life that you have gotten lost. Have you wandered in your walk with God? Do you feel like God has forgotten about you? Ask Him today to walk beside you. If you are feeling lost and frightened, cry out to Him and rest assured that He is with you and will always come looking for His lost children.


Some Things to Think About:

Do you feel lost right now?
Do you believe that Jesus will always come looking for you?
Are you willing to allow Jesus to find you?

Words of Worth:

Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you ar e and watch the Lord rescue you.” Exodus 14:13

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:6

And if He finds it, I tell you the truth, He is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. Matthew 18:13-14

Blessings,
Andi McNair