As a nine or ten year old I went Christmas shopping in a big city with my family. A crush of adults pressed against me on every side. Looking down at gray slush, galoshes, legs, and dangling hands, all pushing into the store, I grabbed the nearest black gloved hand and said, “Don’t lose me, Daddy.” The owner of the hand looked down at me and gave a surprised smile. It wasn’t Daddy. Panic and terror gripped me. I still hate crowds and shopping, even though my dad swooped in and claimed me right away.
Lost Child
Fast forward a lot of years. I lost my daughter, age 3, in an enormous art museum. I ran from the rest of my family to the last place I saw her—the gift shop. I scooped her up and sat on the floor. We clung to one another and rocked while we both sobbed. The terror of losing her was magnitudes above what it felt like to be a lost child.
Contrasting Stories
In the Bible there are two stories about finding the lost that stand out because they appear to have opposite meanings. Jesus told about the lost sheep. (Luke 15:3-4) God looks for a single lost lamb just as intently as I searched for my little girl. God loves us like a parent loves their child.
In the other story, the prodigal son story (Luke 15:11-20), God doesn’t look for him. He waits until the son heads for home. Wait a minute. Doesn’t God love that run away son? I have friends who ache for adult kids who are far, far away. Kids who are lost like the Prodigal Son. Are parent’s supposed to wait and watch for their wayward kids to turn home?
What makes the difference? How can we know God is keeping track of us and will come looking for us if we wander off the path? How can we know what to do about our own kids?
Deliberate or Distracted?
The key seems to be that word, “wander”. Sheep don’t intend to get lost. They get distracted and take their eyes off the shepherd. When they look up they get scared and bleat for help. But the prodigal son deliberately goes off track. The son’s behavior says to his dad, “I wish you were dead so I could have my inheritance. Give it to me anyway.” That father doesn’t go chasing after his wayward son. It wouldn’t do any good. The son doesn’t know he’s lost, he isn’t scared, and he isn’t crying out for help. He must turn back before the father can reach his heart.
Free Choice
It is painfully hard to wait for wayward children to come to their senses and turn toward home before we can run out and welcome them back. God feels like that about us when we are defiant. All the power that exists is in God’s hands, and yet God loves us enough to wait for us to turn. We have the precious gift of free choice.
What can we, as people who influence children, do? Tell them the stories of Jesus. Show them how much they are loved. We can imitate God our Father. We can teach them how much God loves them. Our love for them is small compared to his. We are partners with God in watching over the children we influence.
Please share your thoughts.
