Lost

Yesterday my daughter lost her beloved Bob. Not that he died but that he got out the gate and ran like the greyhound that he is. Funny that the other dogs just looked around and went back in the yard. But not Bob. He was up for an adventure.
And so the search began. Canvassing the neighborhood, calling and crying. Even talking to complete strangers, in case they had seen this wee one. At 6 pounds he would be easy to miss. Then repeat the process adding fliers, posting on Craig’s list, calling animal control and local vets. All to no avail.
As it got dark and cold, no Bob was found, despite superhuman efforts. Truth be told, one someone cried all night long over the loss of dear Bob.
But the new day brought a call from a lady who had found Bob on her front porch cold and hungry. She had seen one of the fliers and so the family was reunited. Then we got the call,
“ Bob is home and safe in my arms.”
Now, he is scraped up and ravenous but hopefully the wanderlust is gone from this adventurer.
If his owners had not persisted, he would still be lost.
In Luke 15 Jesus told a parable about lost things. Lost coins, lost sheep and lost son. In each case, the searcher never gave up until the item was found. The point was that this was a series of three pictures of how God searches for his lost children. Often, like Bob, they either don’t know they are lost and don’t know how they got lost. But God, like my daughter, never gives up until they are safe in his arms.
Welcome home Bob.
God waits to welcome you too, friend.