Lost but Found

I was young, shopping with my mom, and in my own little world. The kind that held butterflies, rainbows, and happily-ever-afters. I tagged along behind my mom, fixated in my dream world, and noticed we were about to leave the store. I reached up to take my mom’s hand, but quickly yanked it back. The woman I’d followed wasn’t my mom.

I skidded to a halt, whipping my head left and right in search of my rightful mother as an overwhelming panic welled a scream in my chest. Other store patrons passed by me like a river flowing into the parking lot. I frantically spun, looking for her, and pressed down the unbearable need to burst into tears and cry, Where’s my mommy!

And then I heard, “Lorri.”

Relief rushed through my veins. My mom stood in the checkout line and had kept an eye on me the whole time.

How blessed are we that our Heavenly Father remains close? All we have to do is cry out to Him, and He hears our prayers. Deuteronomy 31:8 proclaims, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
 
Sometimes we drift away, distracted and following something we were never meant to chase after. Sometimes we turn our backs and walk away, until we forget the sound of His voice because we didn’t nurture our relationship.

But God never forgets His children. Isaiah 49:15 reminds us, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”  Like the parent of a teenager in their room, God knocks on the door of our hearts, ever the gentleman, waiting patiently for us to answer (Revelation 3:20).

Though there may be times when we wander away and get lost, God is watching and waiting for us to seek Him. When we do, He will open His arms wide, like the father of the prodigal son, embrace His beloved child back under the protection of His wings, and celebrate our return.

How sweet the sound of His amazing grace.