"Lost"

My son is a huge fan of the T.V. show, "Lost". I hear it is a good show, but I haven't gotten into it. But the concept fascinates me. Not that I have some strange desire to end up crashed on a remote island but I like the fact that the show is really about second chances, renewal, and redemption (At least, that is what I hear it is about!). Plus, I think we all get lost during our lives. Let me give you some prime examples:

1. My son, Jonathan, started a new job a year ago working at Fry's Electronics. After being on the job a week he was quite frustrated because he didn't know where things were and how to help customers. He was feeling "lost". Now he is a Supervisor at the store and helps to supervise others who are helping customers find what they need. He is now the person they go to for help.
   
2. My wife, Joanie, is teaching school in Gardena, Ca. That's about a 30 mile commute in L.A. Joanie has to go through downtown L.A. to get to her school. That's a pretty daunting task for Midwestern gal. She has found her way through L.A. freeways and even gotten off them onto surface streets when the freeways are backed up. On more than one occasion she has gotten "lost" and had to find her way through strange territory in downtown L.A. Today, after less than a month, she is an "expert" at driving through L.A. The next time we have to go anywhere south, she is driving!
3. I had my first Hebrew class last night. In preparation for the class I read on my own the first two chapters of the grammar text, memorized the alphabet and some of the key issues related to how letters are changed, formed, written, and pronounced. I wanted to be prepared. I guess I was afraid if I didn't do it, I would be "lost". Guess what? If I hadn't done that I would have been totally and completely (you guessed it) "lost" for the whole first lecture. Instead, I was able to follow the course, get the information I needed, and am prepared for the first quiz which will be Thursday.

My point? Simply this. Everyone experiences the feelings of being lost. You don't know which decision to make, which road to take, which direction your life should follow. Don't panic. Lostness is one of the key ways in which God reveals himself. The Israelites were "lost" for 40 years in the Wilderness; Jesus was "lost" for 40 days in the desert; Paul was "lost" for 3 years before Barnabas came and "found" him for his missionary work; Abraham was "lost" but the Lord led him to a promised land. When you are lost you are on the verge finding. You see, lostness makes you dependent on God. You seek His counsel instead of your own wisdom. What do you do to prepare for being "lost"? You prepare to serve the Lord. Good times are really just preparation for tough times. If things are going really well for you spiritually, read the Bible more, spend more time in prayer, and get your personal spiritual life in order. Why? Because a time of lostness is coming. If you prepare now, you will know what to do then. And if you are living in a time of lostness that you really weren't prepared for - that's OK. Just become dependent now on the God of Light and He will lead you through the darkness. And then when things are good, remember to prepare for the next eclipse. Jesus was prepared to go to the Cross (his time of "lostness"). That's how he got through it and how we became part of the Kingdom. Be prepared!