Lost and Found

by Amy Tromba

At our Writers Retreat on May 12, one of our writers, Amy Tromba, composed this blog as a great reminder of the love God has for us.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” — Luke 15:4

From birth, my son loved animals, so he was thrilled when I brought home the Fisher-Price barn and animal set. He was obsessed with this toy, especially the little plastic sheep that he would tuck into his front pocket to ensure it was always with him. At nap time, he would place his little friend back inside the barn, shut the door, making sure to lock the latch before crawling into his bed. On one occasion, he reached into his pocket and discovered his little lamb was missing. We spent what felt like a lifetime, trying to find his woolly buddy, but no matter how hard we tried, we came up empty-handed.

I knew that if my son did not get his nap soon, the evening would be filled with emotional temper tantrums both from him and from me. So, as I tucked him into bed, I recited the words from an old Mother Goose rhyme:

Little Po Beep has lost her sheep and can’t tell where to find them. Leave them alone, and they’ll come home, bringing their tails behind them.

Now my son didn’t quite believe a plastic sheep with legs fixed together would be able to walk back to the barn, but with a sweet prayer for God’s assistance and assurance that I would keep searching, he was satisfied and soon fell asleep.

I held to my promise. I tried everything to find that little sheep. I backtracked every step, turned my house upside down, and even in tears, called my husband at work to see if he could come home to head a neighborhood search party…on a side note, this was my first child, so my husband had grown accustomed to such strange phone calls in the middle of the day. He talked me out of making lost sheep posters and suggested I take a bubble bath, promising to assist us once he got home.

While soaking in the tub, I reflected on my obsession to find this toy. Where was it? Why couldn’t I find it? How was I going to tell my son? Then the Scripture in Luke 15:4 came to mind.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”

In biblical times, sheep were considered lowly animals. In fact, the shepherds who cared for sheep were considered unclean because they were in daily contact with what were considered dirty, smelly animals. At the beginning of this chapter, tax collectors and others were drawing near to Jesus to hear him, but as the Pharisees watched this, they complained amongst themselves about why Jesus would choose to interact with such unclean sinners. In response, Jesus shared this parable about the lost sheep.

I was overcome by God’s love. To know that He would go to any depths of the world to bring one lost child back to His fold no matter how long it took or how far He’d have to go was humbling. In fact, He chose to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). My mind and heart filled with gratitude. Trying to find my son’s lost sheep took on a whole new meaning.

In the end, my son’s little lamb did make it safely back to the barn…I had a nice surprise when I put on my tennis shoe for a walk…and let me tell you, there was great rejoicing in the Tromba household.

“And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” — Luke 15:6-7