Something Lost, Kingdom Found

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8-10

Have you ever lost an item precious to you? Hopefully you’ve since found the item you’re thinking about right now, but I want to share with you about the time I lost something.

A couple of months ago, while grocery shopping, I was very distracted. I was on the phone with my insurance while trying to get all the ingredients I needed for a dinner party my husband and I were hosting that night. I went to pay and I could not for the life of me find my wallet. Naturally, I dump everything that was in my purse on the ground to no avail. Eventually, much to my embarrassment, I had to pull all my groceries to the side and run to the car to see if I had left the wallet there. Still to no avail.

I ended up using Apple Pay for my groceries, but the lack of money was the least of my problems. What if I get stopped by the police on my way home? I have no identification now. I’d have to replace all my IDs and cards. Not only did I lose something valuable to me, but I lost something that defined me.

So I drove home on a hail Mary, thinking maybe I left it there, and again — to no avail. Luckily, my husband, Vinny, knows every Publix manager in like a 50 mile radius. Our conversation went something like this:

“Babe….”
“What happened?” (He could already sense the trepidation in my voice.)
“I lost my wallet."
“Where?”
“The Publix on Hillsboro and Lyons.”
“Oh, store #872? I know the manager there, one sec."

The manager informed him that no one has seen this wallet. So Vinny asks him to scrub the security footage. Meanwhile, I rush all the way back to Publix and try to retrace my steps. I was making a cheesy sauce that night so I just KNEW I had to have lost it in the cheese section. I’m notoriously indecisive so I was certain that if I lost my wallet in that store, it had to be where I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to pick a cheese.

The lovely deli workers and Publix employees assured me they looked everywhere. No one found a wallet in the cheese section. But here’s the kicker: they weren’t as desperate as I was to find it.

Sure enough, the minute I step in the cheese aisle, I spot my prodigal wallet. There it was, hiding in plain sight, and I recognized it immediately. 

Where’s Waldo, wallet edition: can you spot my wallet?

Even though I had described my wallet at length to the Publix employees, and as sweet and attentive as they tried to be, they didn’t know my wallet like I knew my wallet. They couldn’t understand what I was missing without my wallet because it wasn’t theirs. They couldn’t relate to the despair I had when I lost it, nor to the JOY I had when I found it. (You best believe I did the most absurd celebratory dance when I found it). And all this led me to think about the Kingdom of Heaven. I never understood why the Kingdom of Heaven was described as something lost, that one would give everything to find, and rejoice once it’s found. Until now.

You see, in the beginning of chapter 15 of Luke, tax collectors and sinners are gathering around to hear Jesus teach. In the same crowd, the pharisees are muttering amongst themselves “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” And without missing a beat, Jesus immediately begins to describe what the Kingdom of Heaven is actually like through 3 parables: The parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son (prodigal son). I felt very much like the women who lost the coin in this scenario. And I found myself trying to answer the question: “Why does Jesus describe the Kingdom of Heaven as something lost?” I think you can sum it up like this:

1 — The Urgency: The same urgency you get when looking for something valuable when it’s lost is the same urgency we should have to reach the lost souls who don’t know Christ.

2 — The Joy: The joy of finding something valuable you lost is the same joy as when someone comes to Christ. It’s the rejoicing, the excitement, and the wanting to tell everyone you know that you found what was once lost.

As believers, we are called to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. A lot of times, we think that staying busy and serving at church is seeking the Kingdom. But what about the urgency to reach the lost? And the joy once they are found? We can be so busy striving to do great works for God, that not only do we forget why we’re doing it in the first place, but we forget the joy we should feel when the work is done. 

I hope this encourages you today to not forget about the urgency and the joy that comes with seeking God’s Kingdom and reaching those who don’t know Him. We feel the loss when we lose a thing that’s valuable, yet God sees each and every person as having great value. When we view ministry and serving others in that light, it’s easy to understand how much we need to see more of God’s Kingdom here on earth today.

Let’s pray:
God, we thank you for your word. We ask that you continue to open our eyes and reveal to us how we can reach the lost. Place people on our hearts. Help us point those around us back to You. Help us not forget the urgency of sharing the Gospel, and at the same time, help us not forget to rejoice when someone comes to know You. We love you. In Jesus name, amen.

About the Author

Natasha Marques

Creative Director and long-time member of Church of All Nations