When Jesus Finds You
Years ago, when I was in college, I took my brother John and Richard Rieves hunting in the Loosahatchie Bottom. I had never been there but heck, it was public land, and I needed a place to hunt. We hunted one afternoon, camped out that night, and the next morning went out again early. John was ten years old then and, because we had hunted the day before, I knew the lay of the land. As we were walking in, I left John at a spot and told him to stay put until I came back for him.
As we hunted that morning, a fog rolled in. A fog so thick you could hardly see. John wore glasses at that time and, little did I know, they were staying fogged up, and this made it difficult for him to see. When I went back to retrieve him, he was not there. I immediately panicked. I mean, how could I go home and tell my mother I had lost her youngest child somewhere in the woods about an hour from home?! So, I found Richard, and we started hunting for him. We hunted and hunted, and I was getting really worried. It was cold, wet, muddy, and the woods were ominous with fog. Suddenly, I realized we had been walking in circles!
Finally, I heard three shots. Boom! Boom! Boom! We made our way to the sound of the noise, and there was my little brother. His glasses and face were covered in mud, his cover-alls were half off, his gun had mud all over it, and yet, the look on his face was one of pure relief and joy. Me—I was somewhere between shame at putting a ten year old boy in such a predicament and overwhelming joy. I don’t know if I had ever felt such pure relief. These days, the little brother far, far, far outstrips his older brother in all things dealing with hunting!
My story of finding my distressed little brother differs from the story about Jesus finding his lost disciples in so many ways, but one thing is true of both: there is nothing quite like being lost and then being found. This week we again find Jesus rounding up lost, grief-stricken, fear-laden, and doubting sheep. It is what Jesus does best. This much is true: Jesus has to find you and when he does, he goes straight to the heart—literally. John 20 reads like the veil is pulled back, so that we can see into the very souls of the disciples. It is a good thing, because this is what Jesus came to do—heal you at the deepest level.
Most of us, when our hearts are akimbo, seek to adjust our external circumstances to get out of the mud. Please, for God’s sake, don’t do that—run to the cross! That, or something like that, is what we are talking about this Sunday. I can’t wait.
Blessings,
Jim
P. S. As I write this, I have a front row seat to watch the first walls of our new facility being raised. I dream that this space will be a place where Jesus is continually finding lost, grief-stricken, and heavy-laden sheep that need a Shepherd, One who really can heal our hearts.