When he finally came to his
senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough
to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my
father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I
am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired
servant. Luke 15:17-19
Just when you think you have it figured out, life throws you
a nasty curve ball. A person who I
followed online committed suicide yesterday. It was ironic considering the day
was ‘Suicide Prevention Day.’ A young
life of only 30 years would never see their fullest potential. That made me incredibly sad. What made it much worse was this was a
pastor. Now to be clear, no life matters
more than another. But this had far reaching
ripple effects across many lives. His
wife. Family. The congregation he shepherded, and the
thousands of others who followed him.
The one person who you would think to be immune to such harmful
behaviors had somehow succumbed to the very thing he would at times preach
about.
Why? I began to
question my own faith for I felt either a lack of response from or distance
between God and me. This is not what I
signed up for. I struggled continually
to find an answer, but alas, I could not.
I was suddenly in that very lonely place: lost. When I first gave my life to Christ as an
adult, my pastor back then spoke about being lost. However, that was more about someone who had
been wandering aimlessly like the Prodigal Son than a long-time believer like
me. Then it occurred to me I was
wrong. Being lost is not just about
knowing where you are. Sometimes, it’s
about recognizing you are not where you are supposed to be. As I thought more about it, perhaps the
pastor was close to God, but somehow lost his way. He knew where he was, but did not see the
signs directing him where he was going. As
a result, he found a way that ended in his death not knowing the wrong path he
had gone down.
Recognizing where you are is
always important in finding God. My pastor
this week talked about having a sense of direction. He mentioned about a sibling of his driving
for miles without recognizing where they were.
Sometimes, our journey of faith will take us somewhere, and we make the
wrong turn. It’s important to have God
as a compass. Sometimes, it is to give a
guidance as to what path to take. However,
there is more to it than that. Other
times it is to simply read the signs to know if we are going the right
way. The Prodigal Son had reached a
point in his journey where he realized not only had he gone the wrong way but
also was not where he belonged. You see
the story is not always one dimensional.
We see it most often as it never being too late to come back to God and
how His grace alone is enough. In reading
this, we can add to the meaning saying that if we know who our Father is, we
too can find when we are indeed lost. We
too can see where we do not belong, and can begin to make a way to where we do.
God is always there watching to lead
the way if we are in tune with Him. Prior
to the story, Jesus said, “there is joy in heaven over
one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who
are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” (Luke 15:7b) Many of you are taking your walk of faith,
and doing so with a clear sense of God’s direction. That is great. I write to you today not because I have lost
God. I write because if you are like me,
sometimes you know you’re not exactly where you should be. And that’s ok! Just acknowledge where you are and move down
the path that will lead you closer to where God wants you. Do you know where you are with God
today? What hints can give you a sense
if you are on the righteous path? My
prayer is that we are wary of our relationship with God, and make sure to read
the signs. Amen.
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