It's been a long time since I last posted on here- since I felt like I truly had something to write about. For over a year, I felt as though I didn't have much to share. That maybe my words were mundane, ordinary, heard, or even overused. But I no longer think that's true. Words carry a certain kind of weight. Much heavier than anything else we experience as human beings. I started writing this post in September of 2019. I didn't know when or if I'd ever finish it, but for some reason I came back to it today. I reread the words I wrote 2 years ago and was reminded of the significance. The significance of a story most people, Christian and non, are familiar with. The story of the lost sheep and a good shepherd. And it hit me with a different weight than it did 2 years ago. In a pre-Covid world. At a time of life that I have since graduated from, literally. I wrote this as a sophomore in college and I sit here today as a college graduate, as a young adult with a full time job. With different responsibilities, different anxieties, different goals, and a different perspective on Jesus. I came back to this entry with a completely shifted view of Christ and I am honored to finally finish what I began writing two years ago. I am reminded that words are significant, that these words still resonate with me today, as I hope they do with you. Luke 25:1-7 illustrates this beautiful parable Jesus shared with his followers. A reflection of God's love and commitment to his children. Good shepherds were diligent, dependable, and brave. They even risked their lives to protect the floc. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” We were all once the one.
The lost one. The one that Jesus chased after. The one He left the 99 for, to find me, to find you. Think of the other sheep, the 99, as the Christian community. They are believers that know him, love him, and choose to follow him. He leaves them to bring the one, the lost one into that community- to feel loved, to be loved, and to experience a love like no other. If you’ve been a Christian for decades or just recently committed your life to Christ, the reminder is still the same. It’s our job to embrace new believers and support them along the way. At some point in time you were the one. A lost soul brought into Christian community. Maybe you found Jesus, or rather He found you, at church, school or work. He chased YOU down to reunite you in Christian love. It is no accident that you were once lost and now found. There is so much power in one. Jesus understands the ability one person has to change the Kingdom. The ability to bring so many others to HIm. The ability to share Him in ways the other 99 didn't. He chased you down in order to grow the Kingdom. In order to strengthen the 99. Were the group of sheep okay without the missing one? Sure. BUT Jesus knew the flock would be incomplete without it. The Kingdom of God isn't complete without you. Without ALL of His children. This parable reminds me so much of 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Each of us make up a critical part of the body of Christ. Just as our eye and big toe are important to the function of our body, you and I are crucial to the function of the body of Christ. Without you, the body of Christ is incomplete. So much so that Jesus chases you down in order to complete His family. To reunite the lost sheep with His flock. You are valuable and important in the eyes of Jesus Christ.
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