Every time I need a tool it turns into a hunting expedition…
The other day I was rooting around for some rope when I noticed the sheath for my “souvenir” machete sitting in the corner of the garage, but the machete was nowhere to be found. Now, if there was a fire and I only had time to grab one thing from the garage it would be the machete, after all, it is a special reminder of a mission trip to Brazil.
A sheath and no machete? The hunt was on. I tore that corner of the garage apart. No machete. I went through the rest of the garage. No machete. Where is my machete!?!?!!
If time hadn’t been a factor I would have searched until the machete was back safely in its sheath, but Sunday’s sermon lay half written on my computer back at the office. So, I begrudgingly I headed back to work, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the last time I had used that machete.
I recalled using it to hack away at underbrush which was keeping me from my favorite fishing hole. And in my minds eye, as I retraced my steps, I could “see” my machete still leaning up against a tree a few feet away from the bank.
So, I determined to leave work a few minutes early, head to the pond, kick away the snow, and find my “prized” machete. But there was one problem with my plan – I didn’t get away early and it was dark when I got home. Actually, my plan had a second problem – the fishing hole wasn’t the last place I used the machete.
I had also used it in the fall to clear away some weeds and brush in the backyard. Fortunately I remembered this before tromping around a dark fishing hole in a futile attempt to find my poor long lost machete.
So, armed with a flash light, I headed into the wilderness that is my backyard. After a few minutes of searching – eureka!!!
At this point my story could take several turns – there are multiple “morals to the story” I could share. But one thought continued to cross my mind that day as I thought about my missing souvenir: My machete, a reminder of a special time and place, was missing and I didn’t even realize it was lost. How sad…
Jesus once told a parable about a lost sheep. "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not 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.' Luke 15:4-6
I was clueless about the plight of my machete as it lay rusting for weeks on end in our backyard. I’m so thankful that God is not this inattentive when it comes to the plight of man. He has always been aware of our lost state – and love compelled Him to do something about it. He sent His one and only Son ‘to seek and to save what was lost.’
As a part of this mission, Jesus sent His disciples out to “find” the ‘lost sheep of Israel’ and He tasked us with continuing His mission to a lost and hurting world. But I wonder, are we aware of lost and hurting friends, family, and neighbors? Or are they like my machete – lost and hurting and no one realizes or worse yet cares?
Pause here for a second a give it some thought…
Do we go about our daily lives, unaware that those precious to God – who should be precious to us too – are hurting and lost? Do we share God’s compassion for them? Do we share His interest in them? Do we spend any time looking for them?
I certainly can do better – how about you?
Ron
