I know, I know, a lot of us can’t quite wrap our minds around the “Daddy” part of this story.  Many of our father’s, mine included, weren’t the best or were actually  downright cruel. And so we are truly broken in this respect, we can’t get it.  But we can get the Mommy side of the coin.  Or maybe it’s in reverse for you. But you WILL get this!

Luke chapter 15 is ALL about finding lost things.  First the shepherd finds the lost sheep.  Then the woman finds her lost coin.  And finally, the prodigal son comes home.  I’m sure we have all heard these stories, in fact probably many times and in many ways.

So here’s the thing. I lost my son.  Now, mind you, he was a bit rambunctious, a total wild child!  In fact he was so very hyper they had to medicate him at the age of two, when normally they don’t deal with this issue until they have to go to school.  So when I say he was hyper that’s a total understatement.

Now mind you I was a stay-at-home mom and my two daughters were in school.  There was very little that would keep this crazy kid occupied at home, so we went shopping.  A lot.  (Confession time: If you saw my closet and shoes, you would call me a shop-a-holic.  Yep, that’s something I’ve been working on, me and God.)

At first it was awesome and wonderful and he liked seeing other people and bright shiny objects. But when we got to those clothes racks, after a while, he couldn’t see anything from his vantage point in the stroller.  He would start to throw a fit and try and get himself out of the stroller. He couldn’t YET but he started trying to pull the clothes off of the racks because they were in his way.  Back in the day, I could keep him far enough away where he couldn’t do that because the aisles were wider between racks.

One day while shopping, I found something that I just HAD to try on.  And in this particular store, the dressing rooms were kind of in the middle of the store where there was one I could actually take the stroller into.  Yea for me!  So there I am with my clothes half on and half off when shoot if he doesn’t unbuckle himself from the stroller and crawl out under the door.  Right into the middle of the enormous store and take off.  Naturally PANIC, deep seeded panic overwhelmed me.  And me half dressed and not decent couldn’t just go running after him.

Have you ever tried to hurry at something and just botched it all up… made yourself slower or got yourself caught in a shirt?  Yep, that’s what happened.

Finally, I got myself dressed and ran to someone who worked in the store.  We found him half-way across this huge department store, thank God!

But here’s the point.  In Luke 15, the last verse about the lost sheep says this, “⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

And the last verse in the parable of the lost coin says this, “10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

So naturally the Prodigal son story repeats, for the third time, “³² But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

So when we stray or get lost, I truly can’t see God panicking, He KNOWS where we are and what we are doing.  BUT I can imagine Him running after us with as much intensity and love as a loving mom panicking in a store over her lost son, or a father who lost his daughter at Disneyland. We are precious to Him.

And when we come back, I can just see the HUGE party, the celebration that we have repented, that we have turned back to Jesus.  Just like when I found David… I thought I would never stop kissing him and hugging him.  And we know how that goes over with a toddler….  So maybe this helps you out a little bit with the Daddy thing, or the Mommy thing… I hope so.

And what happened to that crazy, hyper little boy?  He’s now 26, married and a pastor at a church!  Who knew!  God did. Oh, and BTW, he’s still crazy.  I think he gets that from me! (Taking Credit)

On their wedding day…