Don't Squander the Wander!

This is the season where God is calling us to find the one lost sheep. The one that God says hey, go over there and chat with that dog owner. Compliment the sunrise and sunset and strike up a friendly hello. See where wanderers are from, and why they are parked where you are – and where they are wandering next.

Look them in the eye, and Lord willing, connect with their soul. If only for a moment. Or maybe for lifelong friends. God decides. God knows. God orchestrates. You just show up. And keep showing up. Whether the girl drawing your blood at the doctors office, your waiter at the restaurant, your hvac tech, or your uber driver. God has a plan and purpose for each one.

Each one just as valuable in His eyes as the mega pastor on the stage. In fact, God consistently goes out of His way to find the wanderer and the weak. The 99 are already in community. The one is out on his own, trying to make it without the pack. Trying to find significance away from the very crowd who may have hurt him along the way. A scorned seeker, or maybe a devastated disciple. Either way, the one has made his way far from the security and significance of the revival within the generation. Lord Jesus this is us. At any given moment. In any given location. In a second we can find ourselves off from the mark where we started, not realizing just how far we have drifted.

Like walking down the shore looking for shells, if I keep my eyes on the water line long enough, I lose track of how far I’ve meandered in search of the perfect shell. Periodically looking up and taking assessment of my location helps me to keep from veering too far off. But what if I don’t intentionally stop and look around? Next thing I know I’m way too far down the path beyond the horizon line of view of all who are with me. Alone. Treasures in my pocket, sure, but the support system God has given me is out of view. Stuck to fend for myself, recalculate how, where, and what to do to get back on track.

It is in this moment I decide. Shrug and keep going in the wrong direction. Stop and take a break and ask God what to do. Or, walk back in the direction I came, following my fading footsteps in the sand. Might even begin running that path of retracing steps if the clouds are looming or sunset is upon me. What are the warning signs? What are the elements that up the ante? A clap of thunder? The roar of crashing waves propelled by gusts of wind? Light escaping quicker by the minute, sinking further down the horizon line until it is completely enveloped by the vast consuming curvature of the earth?

And in the midst of my directional conundrum, the God of the Universe speaks to my heart’s cry:

I put that sun in motion.

I put those grains of sand under your feet.

I direct each wave that washes every speck and specimen.

I am Lord over every storm.

I am the One who sees you.

I am He who loves you, and created you in your mother’s womb.

I’m the One who gave you the sense of wonder for beautiful things.

I’m the One who gives beauty to a dark and dreary world.

I’m the One who sees your beauty, sweet child, and loves you on your worst days.

I am Life itself. I am your hope when the fear of dying grips you.

I am the One who holds eternity in my two scarred hands, and I am He who holds it out to all who would believe.

The God of all this also says I have a plan for your life, and a group of people who are just as messy as you. These people who you can walk through life with, hanging on to my hope, and hanging out in coffee shops. Gathering in buildings made by the hands of man while worshipping the God who gives us all distinct fingerprints.

When one goes astray, forgive us if our mere mortal actions whisper, “don’t let the door hit you” as we selfishly live our lives without these wanderers in our purview, as they become mirages in our rear-view – because that would never be the intent or heart of God. No, God says we all matter. Even the chaos maker. Even the skeptic. Dare I say, even the atheist. He wants us all to know Him. To seek Him. To stay in fellowship with His people. And every time an unbeliever catches the spark of truth and faith, we all celebrate. We celebrate that the Savior who came to save the world also gave His perfect love in the form of our decision, wrapped as a gift with sparkly paper and a satin bow.

The present is sitting, wrapped, in everyone’s life. We have the individual choice to open it or not. To pull that ribbon’s end, watching the satin stream flow to the ground. And whether we meticulously peel the tape off the seams and fold the wrapping paper to save for a rainy day, or if we rip every bit of that sparkling paper in the matter of seconds, throwing it aside, it doesn’t matter.

God is waiting for us to open the box and see His perfect love in the form of Jesus’ willing sacrifice, and His atoning blood shed for us on the cross that brings forgiveness of sins. But as miraculous as that is, the box isn’t empty yet. The whole miracle of salvation hinges on His resurrection!

We need to see the power of the resurrection, how Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, in victory over the grave. This is the very crux of our hope of eternity. If He did it for Himself, he will do the same for us. He is able, willing, and waiting, for us to call on his name. To make Jesus Christ of Nazareth Lord of our life, and openly, willingly put our complete faith in the good news message that He loves us and wants us to be His. Jesus longs for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. Can you imagine? And He holds the same gift out to everyone. We have the choice. Will that gift remain untouched and untapped?