Matthew 18:12
What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
Cell phones have become an intricate thread in the fabric of our lives. I'm willing to bet (not that I gamble) that 99% of you who are reading this never leave home without yours. Am I right?
And on the rare occasions when we do forget to carry our phones with us, I'm guessing that some level of anxiety creeps into our minds as we're driving along. I know I'm prompted to pray that the Lord would see fit to get me to my destination and back home without a mishap.
I usually carry my phone in my purse. But on Wednesday of last week, I decide to simply slide it into my coat pocket. I am headed to the eye doctor to pick up some fresh contacts for my right eye (the left one has had cataract surgery, so doesn't require further assistance), and then on to the gym, which is right around the corner from there.
When I park my car, I take off my coat and lay it on the floorboard of the passenger side. Great way to cloak my pocketbook! Workout completed, I get back in my car and head for home, not bothering to put my coat back on as I'm no longer chilled.
I arrive home, and carry coat, purse, water bottle, and headphones upstairs. It is several minutes before I remember to retrieve my cell phone. GONE!!!
What??? How can that be? Maybe, it slipped out when I laid the coat on the floorboard?
Back down to the garage, I go. No phone on the floorboard, under the passenger seat, or on the seat itself. Feeling a wave of panic rising, I force myself to think logically. Did I absent-mindedly remove it from my pocket at the eye doctor, leaving it on the counter?
Well, I certainly can't call to find out, so it's back in the car for another run, hoping against hope that my phone is there.
When I ask Amy, the receptionist, if she's seen my phone, I'm crushed by her reply. "No, we haven't seen it, Martha. I'm so sorry!"
"I just can't imagine where it could be," I say. "One minute it's in my pocket, and the next minute, it's vanished."
Amy's face brightens. "Working here, my phone often slips out of my pocket and slides across the carpet, ending up in spots I never would have imagined it would land. Have you looked under the driver's seat?"
The driver's seat!!! "No, Amy, that's the one place I didn't think to check because it seemed so far-fetched, but I'll do it right now. Thanks!"
Holding my breath, I unlock my car, open the back door, and peer at the floorboard under my seat. YES! YES! YES! There is that errant piece of indispensable technology staring up at me!
I am so ecstatic, I fly back to the office to share the good news with Amy. She is thrilled to know her advice has helped resolve my plight. "What was lost," she says with a smile, "now, is found."
"Amen!" I declare.
And as I return to my car, filled with joy and relief, I thank Jesus for that profound day in my life when He left the ninety-nine to come find me, and bring me home.
To Him.
Amen!
I'm so glad you eventually found your phone. It is a nuisance when lost, not so much because we have to buy a new one, but also because of all the data and contacts on its memory.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lose something and search for it; it is always in the last place you would think to look. Because then, in the last place you looked and found it, you stop looking then.
Do you remember the parable of the woman who lost a coin and swept the whole house till she found it? When she did she called her neighbours to rejoice with her at a party. I bet the party cost more than the lost coin!!!
Having said this, I really like the message in your post today, Martha. I hope God comes searching for me when I go astray.
God bless you and yours.
Yes, Victor, I do recall that parable of the woman and the lost coin. I must admit, I felt like throwing a party when I found my phone, I felt such relief. I can certainly identify with her!
DeleteThanking God for always searching for us when we go astray like lost sheep.
Love and blessings!
I'm suspecting we have all had those moments of panic for that stupid piece of electronics that we now seemingly can't live without. You know...that thing that was supposed to make our life easier. How can life be easier with a noose around my neck and a chain around my ankle? Glad you found your phone and even more glad of the lesson. He came and sought me.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Bill, about the noose and chain, because as much as we "need" technology, it does trap us in ways we never would have imagined just 15 years ago. Yes, I'm grateful the phone was found (it's relatively new), but much more grateful to God that He found me!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Great analogy...and I am glad you found your phone. I sometimes try to remember life before cell phones and I wonder how we survived...well, we did. We had payphones! LOL. And maps, and encyclopedias, and phonebooks...and many other things that are now becoming obsolete! Sometimes I think I'd like to go back to "the way we were"...but then again, I am very thankful for the convenience of my phone when we are out and about... but I am even more thankful that Jesus went the extra mile to find you and me and all the rest of us wandering sheep! Great story. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the post today, Pamela, and the analogy, too! Yes, today's tech conveniences do make us wonder how we ever survived before them, but we didn't just survive, we thrived. With payphones practically non-existent now, though, that cell phone could be a lifesaver on any given day when we're travelling. So glad it was found, and that Jesus found us!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I had a similar experience on Sunday. Left my phone in the sound booth at the church building. Didn't realize it was missing until well after lunch. Then when I went to look for it... Was not where I expected. I love how you used the experience to freshen your perspective on how God seeks us. Glad what was lost has now been found.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, Ryan, I know that was an unsettling experience for you as losing my phone was for me, but sounds like all's well that ends well. And actually, the image of God pursuing His lost sheep came to mind almost immediately; I knew then it would have to be a blog.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, so glad you found your phone. That has happened to me several times, and yes, I was in a bit of a panic, too. And so I'm also glad when Jesus left the 99 to come after me! Such a beautiful analogy! It comforts me to know He searched for me, near and far, until He brought me back with Him to the flock. Lord, be my Shepherd and carry me forever! (Based on Psalm 28:9)
ReplyDeleteAmen, Karen! Jesus never gives up on His flock, and I cannot be any more grateful for that fact. He is our Good Shepherd, now and forever!
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a wonderful story … so well told, I could absolutely visualize it. Yes, God knew of its whereabouts all along, but guided you to Amy and her 'outside the box' solution.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you've pegged me as one who's unnaturally close to her phone. (Probably unhealthily, too. Is that even a word?)
I don't know if that's a word, Myra, but it sure works well here! It's all too easy to become addicted to the convenience of technology, yet as Pamela mentioned in a former comment, pay phones have all but disappeared from the landscape. And as we get older (we can pretend we're not -lol!), we really need to hedge our bets when we are out and about. Who knows when an emergency could happen?
DeleteSo glad you liked the story, my friend, and use your phone to your heart's content, only not when you're having a quiet dinner with Tom! :)
Love and blessings!
I have known that panic a couple of times, Martha. Thankfully, it always turns up for me too. Crazy how we are so hooked to them these days. I'm sure Amy smiled all the way home from being able to help you find your phone! Our God is an awesome God!!
ReplyDeleteOur God IS a most awesome God, Terri, that's for sure! This incident served to remind me that He can use the seemingly insignificant suggestions/insights of another person to completely transform the day. Hoping I can do that for others on occasion, as I'm sure you hope you can. Angels among us!
DeleteLove and blessings!
How did we ever live without them??!! I had a similar story with my keys. I thought I had dropped them in the snow at my cabin and spent hours digging around looking for them. Just as I gave up I looked in the car ONE MORE TIME and found them wedged between the seat and the console. I have no idea how they got there. Good grief.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite the story of lost and found, Galen, and I know that would have troubled me no end. Glad you thought to check the car out that last time! And yes, what would we do without our trusty phones?
DeleteLove and blessings!
Count me in the great majority who carry their phones with them everywhere. And when it's lost? I panic too! And found? I rejoice. How much more so does the Father feel that way about us! Thanks for this great analogy, Martha.
ReplyDeleteLisa, I'm so glad you liked the post and analogy here. I think we can all identify with that sense of panic when we can't find our phones, car keys, etc. But I know for a fact that I would truly panic if I thought God had lost sight of me, even though I know in my heart He never will.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I'm so glad you found your phone, Martha. I love the analogy of how diligently Jesus seeks out the lost sheep. Thank you for this reminder. Love and blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteJesus does seek us out, relentlessly and lovingly, Trudy. How thankful we can be for that! I'm glad my phone was found, too. Would have hated to have to order a new one. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
Isn't it amazing how losing our phone could initiate so much panic? I would be the same way. So many things we store on our phones! Thank you for helping us put everything in perspective!
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I'm glad you gleaned a new perspective from this post. It really made me sit up and take notice, too, of how dependent we have become upon our portable tech devices. May they never take the place of the always present comfort and love of our Lord!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I carry "The Beast" with me more than I used to, but I don't mind leaving it behind at the end of the day. I get enough of it!
ReplyDeleteI did think I lost my ear piece on Sunday. My buddy went back to the show, where we'd just watched Ford Versus Ferrari, to look for it... and I found it sitting where I'd left it on my vanity.
Like the analogy!
At the end of the day? Absolutely, Floyd, I put that baby down and pay no attention whatsoever to it. By ear piece, do you mean a hearing aid, or a BlueTooth? Isn't it ironic that what we think is lost was never lost to begin with?
DeleteAnd I do like your nickname, "The Beast," for the phone, because it certainly can evoke a love/hate relationship, can't it?
May we all be thankful beyond words that God leaves the ninety-nine to find each of His lost sheep!
Love and blessings!
Martha, I'm thankful you found your cell phone. However, I truly rejoice that the Lord has found the both of us! Where would we be without our Savior seeking us out when we were lost. You do provide a great analogy with your search for your cellphone and how Jesus searches for that one lost sheep.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Yes, indeed, Kim, where would we be if Jesus hadn't taken the time to find each and every one of us. I never cease to be astonished by God's grace, His mercy and His tenacity when it comes to calling His lost sheep home.
DeleteGlad I found the cell phone, too - not something one wants to have to replace!
Love and blessings!
Oh, praise the Lord you found it! That is such a panicked, awful feeling! SO thankful Jesus came looking for me, too, sweet friend. Where would be without Him? I don't want to think about it.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to think about that either, Cheryl, although there are times when the evil one taunts me with the memories I have from before the time I was forgiven by Jesus. I just pray, at those times, to be embraced by God in His presence, and remember that He has found this lost sheep and made me His own. And yes, a found phone is a great phone!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I'm a little late to comment, but I'm so glad you found your phone.
ReplyDeleteI love the "connection" to Scripture, Martha. I certainly enjoy the convenience of my phone and like you, have panicked when mine was lost. It is so reassuring to know our Heavenly Father is always aware of the lost and desires for each one to be found.
Beckie, no comment here is ever too late or untimely, so rest assured I'm just glad you're here!
DeleteAnd I love your punny use of the word "connection." Brilliant! So glad we don't need a cell phone or the internet to connect with our loving and forgiving Father.
Love and blessings!
glad you found it and yes yes we are lost without these devices anymore. I was feeling the panic as I read your post!! LOL
ReplyDeleteSad, but true, Jean! We do panic when we can't locate our phone, and so relieved when it's finally found. Just so thankful that Jesus found you and me!
DeleteLove and blessings!