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Lost, But Now I'm Found

It was small. It was furry. It had brown and black spots all over it. It was a small stuffed jaguar that escaped from my young son Parker’s grasp, but remained in his heart.
“Where is it?” he asked.
“Where is what, Parker?” I replied scanning shelves of groceries, searching for that item I had a coupon for.
“My jaguar.”
“I don’t know. You had it,” I said.
“I don’t have it now.” Suddenly tears welled up in his eyes. The dreaded “Lost Toy in Wal-mart” fiasco would begin.
The cart was mostly full, the store was definitely crowded, and our stomachs were incredibly empty. However, any notion of checking out and getting out was gone as the search was on for a small stuffed jaguar.
At first, I kicked myself. Why do always let my kids bring a simple toy in the store? Why can’t they leave them in the car or, better yet, at home in their rooms? I became frustrated about my decisions and of course, it didn’t help that several customers were giving me the “evil eye” because I had stopped the flow of the shopping traffic. My irritation escalated as I maneuvered around people who couldn’t decide what type of peanut butter to buy. Just pick one and get out of the way, I thought. I’ve got a jaguar to find. My patience was fading, but my stress was escalating.
Then, I began to fret. What if we don’t find the toy? I remembered how much my stuffed animals meant to me. In my mind, they were real. They were alive, happy, and faithful. They were friends no matter what happened. I hugged them, cried on them, danced with them, and slung them around the room. Still, their faces kept that simple gaze. I could only imagine how Parker’s heart was hurting as his little bottom lip poked out and his eyes scanned the area in worry.
I suddenly became desperate. I had to find it. I was determined to stay as long as the store was open so I could find it. I thought about asking a store clerk to help me. I imagined it being placed in a bin somewhere to be restocked. I thought about some kid picking it up and taking it home. I glowered at every child suspiciously. Are you hiding it from me, little boy? How about you, little girl, what’s in your jacket? I faintly heard the song they play whenever the Wicked Witch of the West appears in The Wizard of Oz as I zoomed from aisle to aisle looking for that toy.
After about the twentieth time down the same aisle, I stopped. I sighed out. It was hopeless. It was gone. How could I give up and tell Parker we had to go home, that it was lost, and I couldn’t find it?
Granted, telling Parker this information would bother him for the moment, and in the long run, it wasn’t a big deal. No one had died. No one was injured. Hunter and Parker weren‘t lost, just a stuffed toy that could be replaced with any other toy.
But I didn’t want to give up. So I said a prayer. Maybe some would say it was a selfish prayer. But I knew I was powerless and I knew He knew exactly where that toy was. So I prayed. I asked to find that toy for the sake of a lesson learned (no toys brought anywhere outside of a car or house) and a little boy’s broken heart.
We turned the corner when suddenly I spotted a small brown stuffed animal. There it was! I grabbed it and gave it to Parker. He hugged it so tightly and didn’t let go of it for the rest of the day. I stopped the cart, and in the middle of the store, we three prayed a great “thank you.” I was amazed.
I know that this little miracle could be called a “coincidence” or “luck.” I know that, in the grand scheme of things, this moment was a fraction of what could be called magnificent. But it was our moment, a time that I will hold in my heart that simply reminded me that God cares about every aspect of our lives, even the littlest things. In a world with heartache and suffering, God takes the time to hear me and surprise me.
Best of all, He found me. I was lost, too, but he rescued me. I have trekked down paths that I had no business being in and He wouldn’t stop searching for me. Once He found me, He picked me up, held me tightly, and set my feet on solid ground. He never gives up on me. He never forgets about me. He never leaves me. He says I’m worth it. That’s simply amazing to me.
That jaguar was lost and because it was lost, Parker’s heart was breaking. When it was found, his joy was restored. Imagine how our Father must feel when one of His children who was lost is now found.
“Through many dangers, toils and snares, we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far and Grace will lead us home.”
In the year 2009, may the ones who are lost be found by the One who loves us with amazing grace.