Lost & Found

As I sat on the floor with eight little children one Sunday, we talked about being lost. Not figuratively or spiritually lost but really lost, the, “I can’t find my Mom," kind of lost. The lesson was one of those lost and found parables, either the coin or the sheep. To my personal relief it seems that every child has been lost at least once. Every single one of them has been lost in Wal-mart. (I was relieved because I have always been embarrassed that I have lost my daughter more than once, only briefly each time, yet I always felt very bad for my lack of diligence in keeping track of her. To compound my guilt, I don’t recall ever losing my son, but I seem to frequently misplace my daughter).

They each had a tale to tell. We heard about being lost in a neighborhood while at a party, being so lost the police had to come, being lost at Busch Gardens, being lost at a campground, being lost at the mall. Listening to the various versions of being lost was enlightening. In the eyes of the children they weren’t lost per se, rather their parents had just wandered off leaving them behind. Not one of them believed they had failed to stay with a parent, but that it was the other way around.

Listening to the six and seven year olds’ versions of finding their parents was equally entertaining. One said he followed his mom’s voice. (I know his mom and that was a good plan.) Another just looked through the racks of clothes until he found Mom. One said he watched the feet. He knew what his mom’s shoes looked like so he looked down until he found her feet. Each of them had a way different from the others. They each searched for Mom, but their methods were not the same. Each found their mom in the end. None of them seemed to consider that in the end they were found, in part, because Mom was looking for them. In their eyes it was a unilateral effort.

We are the same when we lose touch with God. We immediately assume that God has left us and not the other way around. We were just standing right here and God wandered off. Maybe we need to rethink this equation. Equally analogous is the way we find God. Some people “find God” through the love of family or friends, some find God in quiet, some in the sound of music. Just as the children in my class found their moms in a way that fit that child, so our children will find depth of meaning in their spiritual walk in a way that fits that child. As a parent it is easy to say if you get lost this is how you find me. If you don’t see God, this is how it is done. We need to remember each child is different. We can give them some guidelines, some tools but each situation is different and they will use their abilities to find their way. We must trust that God is looking for them and will help in the search until they are again reunited.

Have a good summer and I hope you can keep track of your kids.

Michelle