Lost and Found – October 07, 2001
Who among us has not been lost? Whether as a school child with tear-stained cheeks; a teenager who thought he knew the way; or a weary traveler, fumbling to make sense of a map—we’ve all been lost. And, it’s hoped, we’ve all been found. The joy of being found, or of finding oneself, is transcendent—especially when, like the prodigal, we’ve been lost to our true and best self. It wasn’t until the prodigal “came to himself”1 and began to catch sight of who he really was, that he found his way home. With a humble and repentant heart, he discovered true happiness.
In a sense, we’re all prodigals, lost to our Heavenly Father, unless we submit our will to Him and walk the path of forgiveness. The prophet Isaiah taught: “All we like sheep have gone astray.”2 Spiritually more than geographically, all of us can go astray. And if we’re to be found, we must first realize that we’re lost.
In the parable of the prodigal son, the older son, who dutifully stays at home, doesn’t seem to realize that he too could get off the path. He could lose his way, not in a far country like his wayward brother, but close to home, in the fog of selfishness and anger. He protests his brother’s special treatment. And his father gently reminds him: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.”3
Each of us has a spiritual birthright as a son or daughter of God. Like the two sons in the parable, we find our way back home by remembering who we really are—and helping others do the same. Only as we trust in the Lord for salvation and direction are we truly found.
Program #3764
1. Luke 15:17.
2. Isaiah 53:6.
3. Luke 15:31.