You know you’re getting old when you lose your glasses and your teeth.

I laid my glasses down yesterday in my home and had no clue where I put them. They were not in the typical places I usually put my glasses. My husband joined the search. We strategically and methodically scoured each room until we found my glasses…in my soon-to-be new office!

Unfortunately, we spent more time throughout the day looking for other things. What a day we had! But I also know that losing things has been an issue for a very long time.

There is an entire chapter of Jesus’ teaching on finding what is lost. Luke 15 contains the parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7), the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-11), and the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32).

There are several lessons to learn from these parables and probably more than I have time to share here, but take a look at a few.

The first lesson I see is that when we realize we are lost and not living within God’s guidelines, we are to repent. We are to turn away from that particular sin in our life that is hindering us from a close relationship with our Heavenly Father.

These three parables speak of rejoicing when the lost is found. When a repentant heart finds its way back to God. That is just as it should be.

Another lesson we learn about the lost is that we cannot stop looking for it. The shepherd continued his search until the lost sheep was found. The woman persisted in looking for the coin until it was found. The father apparently continually looked for his son to return, for when the son was still far off, the father ran to him.

These three parables show us that we cannot give up on searching for the truth of God’s message. Without it in our lives, we may as well be eating slop with the pigs. Keep searching. God is waiting patiently for you.

And finally, I believe we learn that we must share this Good News with others. The shepherd, the woman, and the father gathered all of the friends together and asked them to rejoice. There were great celebrations. What was lost was found and they couldn’t contain their joy.

These three parables show us that we cannot keep this secret. We must share the Gospel with others. We must ask others to rejoice with us. We must acknowledge that the lost has been found.

I don’t know that I went this far with finding my glasses, but I certainly was happy.

However, when speaking of the lost of this world, I must rejoice when a wandering one comes to know Jesus. I must continue to share the Good News of Jesus to those who need to hear it and I must be persistent in seeking those who are lost. It’s exactly what Jesus did.

I pray your day will be filled with searching, finding, and rejoicing. I look forward to a day just like that.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna