Lost and found

Last Sunday, the sermon in church was about lost and found.  I wish I had my Church bulletin, so I could site the exact scripture.  The scripture talked about how when we lose something as insignificant as a coin, we search and search until we find it.  Upon finding it, we are overjoyed and want to share our joy with others.  The same is true of God.  He is search and searching for us, like lost sheep.  When we walk in to His house, He is overjoyed. 

Pastor Wahl also told a story about a woman who unexpectedly lost her mother.  The woman always wore a charm bracelet that had been a gift from her Mom.  It helped her feel connected to the Mom that she lost.  One cold, winter day the woman trudged in to her workplace, pulled off her coat and gloves only to discover that she had lost the charm bracelet.  She instantly felt like she was losing her mom all over again.  She looked and looked to no avail.

Months later, a maintenence worker at the hospital where she worked found  her bracelet in a melting snowbank and returned it to the woman.  She was overjoyed.  It felt as if her Mom, or perhaps God, was speaking to her. 

The story made me think back to the previous week, when I too lost something special to me.  It was a single teardrop shaped opal earring.  The pair was my very first pair of "nice" earrings given to me by my Mom and Dad shortly after I had my ears pierced.  I had them pierced at the beginning of the seventh grade, and they were the first pair of earrings to go in my ears after removing the starters. 

I have had them for a very very long time and I wear them often.

Were they expensive or valuable?  Probably not.  But to me there were very valuable.  They were special because they were a gift from two people that time and distance often separate me from.  They helped me to feel a connection. 

I too felt like the woman in Pastor Wahl's story.  She felt like she lost someone special to her.  And thats how I felt two weeks ago when Madison said "Mommy, you're only wearing one earring" and I discovered it was missing.

Like the woman, I searched and searched.  I checked the carpet at home, my clothes, my jackets.  All in hopes that the earring had gotten stuck in them.  My search proved fruitless.

Like the woman, I was sad and certain that I would never again see the earring.  I felt a great loss and wondered what I would do with the lone mate to the missing earring. 

Yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder if God was speaking to me through Pastor Wahl's sermon last Sunday. There were so many similiarities between the woman's story and the loss of my earring.  The woman's bracelet was found by a kind and thoughtful maintenence worker at the hospital where she works.  In the medical facility where I work, a kind and thoughtful maintenance worker found my special earring while vacuuming my office on Wednesday night and left it where I would easily find it today.

You can imagine my surprise and joy at finding the earring sitting right there on my desk!  I wanted to call my friends and shout "I found my earring!"  I felt like I imagine God must feel when he finds us.

I am still convinced that God is trying to talk to me.  I am listening, but I'm not yet sure what He is trying to tell me.