“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15: 7, NIV)
Have you ever lost a child in the mall or grocery store? I will never forget the time we lost our daughter, Jenny, at Randhurst – when it was still an indoor mall. We were in Arlington Heights for the Christmas holiday and we decided to take the family to the mall for a few hours. Jenny was about to turn 3 years old. We also had a five-year-old and a 6-month-old. Ken wanted to go look in a store and he took Jenny with him. Katie, Andrew and I were on a bench near the exit, with all of our paraphernalia. It was post-Christmas and the mall was empty. The grandparents were at home. I’m guessing we were trying to give them a few hours of peace and quiet!
Ken came out of the store and I said, “O.K. time to go back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.” It was Katie, the five-year-old, who said, “Where’s Jenny?” I looked around. No Jenny. I said to Ken “She was with you.” He said, “She wanted to come back out to see you.” “She never got here.” Near as we can figure, she went the wrong direction out of the store and kept walking.
This horrible feeling of panic came over me. I began to run to any person left in the mall and ask if they had seen a small child, a 2-year-old. When they would look at me blankly, I would shout with panic in my voice, “She has red hair.” A couple in their 50’s came by and said, “We know your parents from church. We’ll help you look for her.” A sorority sister I hadn’t seen in ten years offered to help. A woman, who was a complete stranger, offered to sit with Katie and Andrew so I could look. And I let her.
I let a complete stranger sit with two of my children because I was so desperate to find the lost one. Of course, it felt like hours but it was only a matter of minutes when the couple from church was seen walking toward us with Jenny holding their hands. I ran to scoop her up. There was indeed great rejoicing and a chorus of thank-you’s. Such relief.
That is how God feels about us. It’s that simple. God loves us so much; he will relentlessly pursue us in unconditional love until we are again wrapped in the arms of God. God will trust those who are already wrapped in God’s love to be safe while he pursues those of us who stand, for whatever reason, outside that love. When we are once again wrapped in the arms of God there is great rejoicing.
In this season of Lent, allow God to pursue you and wrap the arms of His great love around you. Know, beyond any doubt, that there is nothing that can ever keep you from God’s loving and safe embrace. God will look for us until we are found.
