The Winter of Lost Things

It has been a long winter – a strange winter of lost things.  My belongings seemed to disappear as fast as the sun on a February afternoon.

What had me puzzled all season is that the tiny cottage we call home does not have that many hiding places. Lost items simply have nowhere to go. Deep dark closets and mysterious junk drawers that seem to swallow the miscellaneous – there aren’t too many of them here. Don’t get me wrong, I am not organized by birth. At all. It’s just that this house is so small, if something isn’t where it’s supposed to be, it has to be in plain sight. It just has to be.

Over the past few weeks of Spring, as the grass has been revealed and the sun is returning to us, all of my missing items have turned up.

My snowmobile gloves? Found in my daughter’s closet.

A pair of sandals? Also in my daughter’s closet. (hmmm.)

My pie server loaned out? Returned.

My good microfiber cleaning cloths? Found.

My rotary cutter? Found it.

I had forgotten or given up on most of these things. But I’m so glad God hasn’t given up on me.

There’s a story in the book of Luke that says:

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says “Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep.”

Jesus is the shepherd, and He is searching for you.  He hasn’t given up on you. He won’t. He has opened the door to the deep dark closet of your heart. He’s calling your name.

He wants to shine the sun in your dark places. He wants to melt away the winter of your soul and bring you new life.

You can keep hiding. Or you can run to Him.

(Originally published May 13, 2015)