Was Lost, Now Found

I never expected it to happen to me. But it did. It was just like any other day. I gathered my belongings and started to leave the house and drive to work. All I needed

was just one more item - my keys. But when I checked my purse, they weren't there. I was shocked! I always leave them in my purse. Where else could I have put them? I looked in every place I thought they possibly could be - on the kitchen floor, in my car, laying in the driveway. But they were nowhere to be seen.

I was at a loss.

When I came home from work that day, I decided to take a shot in the dark and search in places I wouldn't think to find my keys. And sure enough, they showed up in the bathroom hiding under a pile of dirty clothes. The bathroom - the last place I would have ever thought to look! But they were there. And I had no idea I accidentally put them there.

Well.... you can imagine how silly I felt afterwards. How frustrated I was after going through all that trouble to find them. How guilty I felt when my best friend had to drive me to work that day. How I struggled with that uneasy feeling of wondering if I would ever find them. But what a relief it was to have them in my possession again! I had comfort in knowing they would be there when I needed them. I couldn't help but praise and offer God with thanksgiving! I realized that this is a common pattern in people's lives. In the lives of Christians. Even in my own life. And it has nothing to do with losing keys. Here's what I took out of this unfortunate, but eye opening experience:

1. God knows what is in our hearts

The heart can reveal so much about people. In the heart of every Christian is a constant longing to be close with God. This can be seen through action. We work towards making God first priority in our lives. We possess a bright, burning flame in our souls that shine for the world to see. But sometimes that fire starts to dwindle. We grow tired. We focus on other tasks. We get lazy. God becomes less of a priority as we put other necessities before him. When we stop putting our heart into the relationship, we lose the intimacy with God. And ultimately, we lose the relationship. We carelessly throw him under a pile of dirty clothes in the bathroom. And when we realize he is missing, we wonder why our hearts don't feel the same. So we think of a quick fix. We tell ourselves, "I'll go to church - that will make me right with God." Or, "Keeping up with that bible study will help me feel better." But does that mean our hearts are in the right place?

In the book of Psalm in chapter 51, David is expressing his grief when he was confronted about committing adultery with Bathsheba. Starting in verse 16 it says,

"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart

you, God, will not despise."

David knew his faults. And in order to make himself right with God again, he knew he needed to have a repentant heart. But he didn't look for a quick fix. He didn't shower God with good deeds and earthly treasures. Why not? Because that is not what is meaningful to God! He desires for our hearts to be in the right place; a heart that wants to please him. A heart that desires a relationship with him. Before we can repent, we need to understand the severity of our sin and do everything in our power to get back on the right track.

When I realized my keys were gone, I looked for them frantically. I was desperate. My heart was grieved at the thought of misplacing something I needed on a daily basis. Do we view God in the same way? He knows when we earnestly seek him, and when we have lost that fire within. But he is always there to welcome us with open arms.

2. God can show up in unexpected places

When I realized my keys were missing, I looked in every place I thought I could have left them. Even though I was longing to find them, I had no success. I thought I could find them on my own, but clearly I couldn't. My own judgement failed. And I began to have doubts of ever finding them. I didn't know where else to turn. I felt helpless. The only thing I could do was cry out and ask God for help. I prayed that he would help me find them again. I knew that even though didn't have the answer, he did. He heard my cries of desperation, and eventually led me to where my keys were. I was baffled; I was not expecting to find my keys where they were. What an unusual place to find keys! But God still answered my prayer, even though it was not the answer I was expecting.

Life gets complicated and is filled with transition. We are humans and mess up along the way. We lose sight of what is truly important. We lose God under a pile of dirty clothes. So when we search for him, where do we look? Do we try to look in all of the typical "religious" places the world would say to look in? Are we searching for that quick fix just to make ourselves feel better temporarily, or do we seek a satisfying, peace filled intimacy with God? Get in touch with that intimacy again. What makes you feel close with him? What reminds you of his grace, love, and protection? Take yourself back to those moments when he has revealed himself to you; an answered prayer, a kind Christian who reached out, a meaningful bible study, or even a hardship like losing your keys during a hectic morning. God isn't always in the places we would expect to find him. But he is there and always ready to reveal himself when our hearts are seeking him wholeheartedly; a heart that is humble enough to admit we don't have all of the answers. In order to keep the intimacy alive, we must make a choice to keep God first in our lives!

Romans 11:33-36

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgements,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

'Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?'

'Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?'

For from him and through him and for him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen."

Think of all the unusual ways in which God has revealed himself. Moses was given instructions through a burning bush. David was protected by a spider's web. Jonah was taught a harsh lesson about obedience when he was swallowed by a great fish. All of these circumstances were unusual, miraculous, and even terrifying. But God used them because he knew the ways in which he would successfully get his point across and reach the hearts of his people. And they were forever changed. They became stronger, wiser people with a burning desire to pursue God. All because of the circumstances he placed them in. God has ways of showing up in unexpected places when we least expect him to show up, even at our most vulnerable and desperate moments.

If you have recently struggled with a detachment from God, you may feel similarly to the way I felt after losing my keys; frustrated, guilty, uneasy. You may search for that intimacy, looking in all of the places you think you will gain success. You may even be searching for God for the first time, doubting that you will ever find him. If so, remember this: you won't find him in a church building or at a potluck or through good deeds. It just isn't that simple - it takes so much more searching. And the first place to search is from within. A heart wanting change is a heart that has taken the first step to finding God. Don't give up! Keep your heart and mind open to learn and understand who God is and what you must do to be right with him. There is much comfort once we truly understand what it means to have an intimate relationship with God. For when he is in our lives, so much of ourselves is found; our salvation, our hope, our peace, our purpose. We may lose ourselves along the journey of life at times. But God can never be lost. And when we find him, we have everything we could possibly need.