Are You Missing Something?

Jan 29, 2019 | by Brad Sumner

In most neighbourhoods, there are signs up: “LOST DOG: Last Seen at…” or “LOST CAT: Reward for their return!”

What do you do when you notice those signs?  Sometimes we feel sympathetic but we often walk past, shrug and think “sucks to be you!”  or “Do they expect ME to do all the heavy lifting of finding their furry friend?!” 

The signs do help us pause, however, and think a moment about how the owner feels.  What does a compassionate owner do?  They are out earnestly searching for those animals!  They are rallying people to their cause on social media. They are calling the pet finders (seriously, it’s a thing).

This is the way God feels about people in our world – in your neighbourhood – who are not in an active relationship with God.  In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories about four that are lost: a sheep, a coin and two sons.  In each story, we see God as the initiator, the seeker, the one actively and diligently pursuing the one who is lost. God doesn’t just put up a sign that reads ‘Oops - I lost a sheep’.  God leaves the 99 and goes after the one who is missing.

The real question is: "are you and I willing to do the same?"