Most of us have experienced that moment when something disappears. It is the car keys, the TV remote, a favorite pair of glasses, or that one phone charger that seems to be the only one that works. We stop what we are doing and start looking. We check the counter, the couch cushions, the kitchen table, and places we swear we already looked. And when we finally find it, there is usually a little celebration— “There it is!” Jesus tells a similar story in Luke 15 about a shepherd who loses one sheep out of a hundred. Instead of shrugging and saying, “Well, at least I still have ninety-nine,” the shepherd goes looking for the one that is missing.
That is the part of the story that can be easy to miss. The lost sheep was not just a number. It mattered. The shepherd did not decide it was too much trouble or that one sheep was not worth the effort. He went after it. Jesus says heaven celebrates when one lost person is found, just as there is joy when something important that was missing finally turns up. Maybe that is a reminder for us when we feel lost, overlooked, or far away from God. We may feel like just one person in a world of billions, but God does not see us as a number. God notices when we are missing. God cares enough to come looking.
And this story also challenges us to notice who is missing from our own lives. The person who stopped coming to church. The friend who has pulled away. The family member who is struggling quietly. Sometimes being the hands and feet of Jesus means making the call, sending the text, or simply saying, “I’ve missed you.” We do not have to fix everything. We just must care enough to go looking.
Reflection: When have you felt lost or forgotten, and who helped you feel found again? Is there someone in your life who may need you to reach out this week?