Lost and Found
As an evangelist, I am in a different place almost every week. Frequent travels allow me to meet new people and see difference sights, but it also leaves me more prone to losing things. I have left behind clothing, keys, and an assortment of other things through the years. When I am in unfamiliar settings, things have a way of hiding from me.
During some recent travels, I lost something that was very dear to me – a pocketknife that my dad bought me when I was a kid. I will never forget the day I got that Buck Cadet. My dad made a trip to W.B. Sharpe’s Hardware store to pick up a few things. I loved going to W.B.’s store. He had a little bit of everything, and only he knew where it all was.
While dad was making his way around the store, I stepped up to the case where the knives were and looked with envy. Dad eventually came around and asked me if I saw anything I liked. Ten minutes later, I walked out of the store as the proud owner of a Buck pocketknife. Few things surpass what a country boy feels when he gets a new pocketknife.
Just a few years later, my dad passed away when I was 15 years old. That knife was not only a precious keepsake, but it also spent many days in the field with me when I worked for a local farmer. I used it to whittle sticks, cut haybale and tobacco twine, and open boxes. That knife was my companion through my college years and on into adulthood.
My heart skipped a beat when I one day realized that it was not in my pocket. I had a busy travel schedule preaching in several places and staying in different locations. I retraced my steps time and time again. I called a hotel several times hoping in vain that a cleaning lady would find it. I texted a friend that I was with to see if I left it in the van. Finally, I was resigned to knowing that my family heirloom was lost. Sadness.
Time sometimes has a way of helping us to forget, but that knife lingered in my mind. Fast forward to a recent trip to the airport. As usual, I got into the TSA Precheck line, handed the worker my I.D. and boarding pass and placed my backpack on the conveyer belt to be scanned. As I waited on the other side, an officer grabbed my backpack and took me to the side.
Because my backpack is my mobile office, I carry just about everything in it. It has been searched on several occasions only to find an abundance of pens, a portable recording device, or a pocketful of coins that hindered the scan. As usual, she asked the question, “Do you have any sharp objects in your bag?” As usual, I answered “No.” What happened next still gives me cold chills.
The TSA officer opened the top pouch of my backpack and begin pulling out my pens, even making a smart remark about the number of pens in my bag. Then, she pulled out a black pocketknife with silver ends and a well-worn Buck imprint. I could not believe it! My knife was found! Sure, I had to pay twenty dollars to ship it home, but IT WAS FOUND. Rejoicing.
If this story caused you to remember of a similar instance in your life and how you felt, I would like for you to consider one more story. It is found in Luke 15. Jesus told the story of a man who had two sons. The younger son took his inheritance and left home to squander it all on pleasure and self. When he came to end of himself, he realized the error of his way and repented and returned to his father. After the son’s humble confession, the father clothed him, fed him, and rejoiced.
“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” Luke 15:24
What I felt in my heart when I found my knife pales in comparison to what God and His angels felt when He found me. I thank God for His mercy and His grace. The Bible tells us, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) Is He looking for you today?