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“Mom!  I can’t find my _____.”  You can fill in the blank—homework, favorite shirt, helmet, or (later on) car keys.  I’m will use the example of shoes.

“Don’t think I wore them,” I say.

“I know, but I can’t find them.”

“Did you look in your closet?”

“Well, no but I can’t find them.  Come help me, please.”

Of course, I drop what I’m doing and go to his aid.  And, since he’s been at it for 10 minutes now, I really doubt if his non-mom eyes are capable of locating those shoes.  I start my search, and 15 seconds later I’m standing in front of him with the objects of his distress in my hand.  “Are these what you’re looking for?”  And, I give him that look.  You know, that same one I’ve probably worn on my face a 1000 times before—but, who’s counting?

What my son was looking for was there all along, but somehow they escaped his field of vision.  The shoes didn’t suddenly appear when the mother figure (that would be me) of the house went hunting for them.

Oh, so much like life!  We all yearn for love, acceptance, and mercy—things only God can give us in the most complete and unconditional way possible.  Problem is we tend to search in all the wrong places for them.  We think He is hiding His goodness from us, and that just isn’t true.  I picture God trying to get our attention to tell us that He’s ready to give us all that is beneficial, genuine, and fulfilling.  All we have to do is ask.  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  (Matthew 7:7, NIV)

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The world says, you are not loved

             “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”  (1 John 4:9-10, NLT)

The world says, everyone has abandoned you.

            “. . . For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT)

The world says, you have no future.

           “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

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“There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.”  (Proverbs 13:7, NAS)

 It was kind of funny, but not in the hilarious sort of way.  Weird funny.  Winston and Jacob were so different and yet met the same fate on the same day, bleeding the same color of blood.  Both men were making a deposit that Monday when the two masked men stormed into the bank.

Winston’s wealth was public knowledge—he was anything but shy about showing off his affluence.  The day he made his first million, he declared himself richer than God Himself and changed his name from Bob Smith to Winston Rich III.  There was no senior Winston or junior before him—he just thought the Roman numerals at the end sounded good. Dignified.  Important.

Jacob took care of his finances but without broadcasting them to everyone around him. He was born a Potter and died a Potter that day in the bank, next to the guy who insisted on three I’s added to his name for no reason.  Jacob received a generous bonus one year, so he took his wife and four children to the Black Hills to celebrate.  They adored him. (more…)