Devotional Thoughts: Missing

I married a dog person. I’ve been a cat person all my life and when we married I had two geriatric cats that I loved dearly and my husband grew to love them as well. They passed away and we now have two new cats that aren’t a year old yet. Tonight our girl went missing. She likes my husband best and sometimes I think he loves her more than he loves me. We searched high and low. I searched outside thinking maybe she escaped without us seeing her when we went out the door. I searched the attic and under the house. Hours passed one at a time. I prayed for her to be ok. I asked God to protect her and bring her home. My male kitty followed me everywhere as I searched. He too seemed lost without his best friend he spends all his time with.

This experience tonight reminded me of a parable Jesus told.:

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:12-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

At some point in life we’ve all been lost. Being lost is a terrible feeling. It’s also a terrible feeling to lose something valuable. This lost kitty I searched for had my husband’s heart and I knew it would be most painful for him if she was gone. It’s painful. I wanted her to be ok, to be safe right here where she has so much love and care.

The best place for me to be is in God’s care, in God’s plan and following Jesus. I once was displaced. I heard the Gospel and surrendered my life. I’m now found. I’m safe. I’m ok. I’m a citizen of Heaven even though I’m not there yet. I too can wander off the path. Thankfully I serve a God who pursues me, a God who finds me and cares for me.

Tonight I gave up. I washed my face. I brushed my teeth and I went to bed. I laid there listening to the quiet asking God for our kitty to be found when I heard a faint meow. I sat up and listened. She was upstairs. I hopped out of bed and pinpointed she was in my daughter’s room. I quietly opened the door and saw the closet was closed. I opened the closet and out she came! Thank You Lord!!! The relief and joy I felt in that moment! Now I can rest.

God pursues each one of us. Are you lost? Are you found? Oh what rejoicing when what was lost is now found! Here’s a pic of our little stinker that leapt out of the closet and keeps us on our toes! We love her so much! How much more God loves us! How God pursues us and wants us to partner with Him in pursuing those who are lost. I’m not sure I could have rested tonight if I hadn’t found her. Being found is a beautiful thing! Thanks Lord I’m found!