1. Devotional
  2.  » Not Lost, Found

Not Lost, Found

by | Mar 6, 2021

“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”

Luke 15: 8

It’s Saturday and if you have read the devotions throughout this week, you know the focus has been on lost things – sheep, coins – and anything else you want to add to the list. As most of you know, I lost something valuable last week. I lost my Dad. I won’t see him again this side of heaven. I won’t hear, except in my own head, his voice saying “Hi, Sweetheart” which was his standard greeting on Sunday mornings when he saw me.

It’s an overwhelming loss. Most of you have gone through this kind of loss. I have walked with many of you through this loss and it has been a privilege to be at your side. It feels surreal some times and other times it feels too real. I get sad and I get angry – unfortunately, Ken bears the brunt of the anger but he understands.

There are all sorts of beautiful things written about death and about loss. Many of them focus on the fact that the more you loved the more you grieve. I suppose that is true. The words that help me the most right now come from scripture. I know, for example, that my father has received the crown of righteousness. I also know that he is now part of the great crowd of witnesses that cheer for the rest of us as we continue the race.

Most importantly, I know that in reality my father is not lost. Don Hartung is safe in the arms of Jesus. Paul writes that there is nothing, not even death, that can ever separate us from the love of God. In his parables, Jesus reminds us that God will pursue us relentlessly and we can never be “lost” from God. My Dad was a man of deep faith. I have a mental picture of him sitting in a chair in our living room reading his Bible every morning before he left for the train. He taught Sunday school for years. There are adults in our church today who benefitted from his instruction. Teaching the Bible was a second career for him.

I may have lost my father. My father is not lost. He is safe in the arms of God. He is as “found” as any of us can ever be. One day we will be together again. Until that day, I find comfort in knowing that he is wrapped in God’s love. My prayer is that each of us know that we can never be lost from God. God always knows right where we can be found!