Every time my kids and I go hiking, we end up talking about “the time mom got us lost” on a trail. Now, sadly, this has happened so often that we have to ask—which time?
Well, one time we had just started a really good trail that was supposed to be a moderate, one-mile hike in a neighboring town. There came a point where the trail met up with a side trail and looked the same. We didn’t have a map or anything, so we took the one that looked like went in a loop… we chose the wrong trail… and somehow, we ended up looping the same area at least twice. I was frustrated. The kids were running out of water. Let’s just take a short break here on this log, I suggested.
Out of nowhere, we see a dog… not on a leash like they’re supposed to be… But my legalists view of this quickly shifted when that pup ran up to my kids and took their minds off our current lost state. Then a lady came behind the pup and waved.
Thank the Lord, a person! Maybe she can help us find our way back!
I asked her how to get back to the parking lot… only to realize she was nonverbal. She tried to make some sign language gestures at me… but I had no idea what she was trying to communicate. Then she took me by the hand and motioned for us to follow her. We followed her up a hill that was off the trail… and I won’t lie at first I was worried we would get more lost… but that quickly shifted as I saw our van on the other side of this hill.
The gratitude we had for this lady!
We were lost! Like really lost!
She showed us the way back even though she couldn’t’
communicate with us well!
I’m sure I’m not the only directionally challenged person in the world… being lost sucks! But getting your kids lost too… that’s a whole new level of suck.
The world is full of lost people. And they need someone to show them the way. Physically and spiritually.
Some people are going through life walking in circles and know there has to be a better way. But they can’t find a way without some help.
God puts people in your path… even when highly unlikely to help… to use you for His glory.
So Christians, we must join Jesus in his work to seek and save the lost. When we see people who are walking in circles looking for a better way, we must be willing to show it to them.
The world is full of lost, hurting, and broken people. They need to know hope. This brokenness was not God’s original plan, but a result of sin. When man chose to do things his way rather than God’s way, we became separated from God. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. If we stay stuck in our sin, we will be separated from God forever. But he had a plan to redeem and restore all of creation. He sent Jesus to live the perfect life and take the punishment for sin. 3 days later he rose from the dead, defeating death and giving us all the hope of eternal life. Jesus is the WAY to restored relationship with God. Jesus is the way to eternal life.
Sometimes you may not have the words. Sometimes the words fall on deaf ears. But remember we sow seeds. God makes them grow. If they won’t listen with their ears, show them with your actions. Jesus truly is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!