A mother’s nightmare is for their child to disappear. It’s a feeling I never want to experience again. Thankfully, I experienced a lost and found. 

Lost

Matt was four, Danielle was six, and we were at the mall’s pet store. A clerk placed a puppy in my hands, which I coddled, showed my daughter, and then turned around to show to my son. But in those few seconds, my son had slipped away.

The store clerks checked the back room. No result. My. Son. Was. Gone.

“Maybe he went to the gaming center.”

“But he’s four…”

I knew he must be very frightened. Holding back panic, I called to every passerby, showing them a photo and asking if they had seen this four-year-old boy. Heads shook.

A father-mother-daughter team offered to help. The daughter searched the mall on foot, running first toward the security booth, carrying the photo I’d been sharing. Meanwhile, the father and mother checked the restrooms and parking lot. Being Christians, they offered prayer, which I gladly accepted.

Found

Twenty grueling minutes later, the daughter returned, saying she had located my son. They’d bring him to me as soon as he went through security checks.

After what felt like an eternity, the security guard brought Matt. He held a stuffed puppy, and tears streamed down his face. We could not embrace him enough.

I asked Matt to tell his story. He had been looking at the puppies playing in the window display, which I assumed led him outside since it was a glass enclosure on three sides. When he lost sight of me, he ran, but the farther away he got, the faster he ran.

Although this incident took less than an hour to resolve, it is etched in my memory forever. We were glad Matt came back to us safely.

So when they saw Him [Jesus], they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

~Luke 2:48-49 NKJV

In chapter two of Luke, we read about Joseph and Mary losing their son. By this time, Jesus was interested in learning the Torah and stayed behind, assuming His mother and adoptive dad would know where He was. Days later, when His parents found Him, He told them He was ready to do His heavenly Father’s business.

The Savior’s Rescue

Jesus Christ, even at the tender age of twelve, relates to how devastating it is to be spiritually lost. But He was determined to carry out His mission to die to pay sin’s price and to rise again victorious over death, Hell, and the grave. He was not concerned about His comfort but accepted His responsibility to save us. He understands the lost soul’s need to be found.

What a Savior! Jesus proves His compassion when He calls the despised and outcast tax collector, Zacchaeus, saying He will sup with him: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10 NKJV). Jesus told the parable of the shepherd who searched for a single lost sheep even though he had ninety-nine who were found. He restored the woman caught in adultery, healed the blind, embraced the leper, and so much more.

Consider the cost of the Savior’s love. Jesus came as a babe, felt our pain, and offered us the greatest gift: salvation. Let our mission be to help others discover that they don’t have to be lost; they can be found in Him.

Heavenly Father, use me to tell my Savior’s story so that lost souls may be found. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2021: Lost & Found: Diane Virginia: All Rights Reserved

Published: December 2021: Inspire a Fire