Are you confused yet? Hang in there, I'm going to bring it all together ;)
While I can tell her P means park, R means reverse, N means neutral, and D means drive my lack of car knowledge surfaces when it comes to the 2 and L.
And then one morning Kiersten says to me, "I know what L means. You put it on L when you are lost, and then you will know which way to go."
This got me to thinking, it's only human if sometimes throughout life we feel lost. Sometimes its our own fault, maybe we take a wrong turn, and we get distracted by worldly things and we lose sight of what is really important. Our windshield gets a little mucky, we can no longer see God, and we feel lost. There is absolutely no shame if this has ever happened to you, because believe me... I have been there, done that! There are many promises in God's word that can uplift and encourage us through times like this.
Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the LOST."
Another great example we can find by diving into the Bible is The Parable of the Prodigal Son. This Parable is an amazing example of how merciful, compassionate, and forgiving our Heavenly Father is. He loves us very deeply, and His love for us is greater than we can ever imagine! He is delighted when we come back home! The Parable of the Prodigal Son can be found in Luke 15:11-32.
I also find the story in Luke 2:41-52 to be of some use for those times we are feeling lost. In this particular story it speaks about Jesus and his family traveling to Jerusalem for Passover. After the festival was over, and His parents began the journey home Jesus stayed behind. His parents didn't realize until a whole day later that He was not with them! I know the first time I read this it grabbed a hold of my heart, because I realized that when we let those distractions in, and we continue to "travel" further and further away we sometimes don't even realize that we aren't allowing the Lord to "travel" with us. This could be because we know the road we are traveling isn't a road that He may approve of. Now hear me out, because I'm about to tell you the awesome part! When Jesus's parents realized He was not with them they returned to Jerusalem to look for him, they found Him in the temple courts sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. Here's my favorite part, verses 48-50 says this, When his parents saw Him they were astonished. His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you?" "Why were you searching for me?" He asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's House?" But they did not understand what He was saying to them.
Now maybe everybody will interpret this in their own way, but this is how I see it.. they had traveled quite some time before they realized Jesus wasn't with them. When they found Him though, and His mother asked why He had done what He did, He answered her with a question. "Why were you searching for me?" He asked. As if to say, why wouldn't I be here. That's where He was meant to be.
Typically, when we are lost we eventually realize it. We realize that our windshield got mucky and we drove off the road. Sometimes, we feel like we are unworthy and we need to go back searching for God. This isn't the case at all! By diving into God's word and reading, The Parable of the Prodigal Son, and the story in Luke 2:41-52 we can rejoice that He is ALWAYS right where He should be, standing with arms wide open, ready for us to get back on the road, and run back into His arms.
Like I said, it happens to all of us at one time or another, so don't be ashamed if this is where you have been, or where you are right now! The next time you find your windshield getting mucky, use life's gear shift (The Bible), to get back into drive!!
<3 Ashley XO
Absolutely beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, mama <3
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