Where is it?!

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, August 1, 2008

The movers pulled out of the driveway after unloading all of our belongings into the new parsonage. I went back inside the house to be confronted by over 400 boxes, furniture that needed placement, and a kitchen still being remodeled. Things were a mess!

Looking through the chaos, it was tempting to simply throw my hands up in frustration. How did we ever accumulate all of this stuff in the first place? Didn’t we give a whole bunch of stuff away BEFORE we moved? And where do we begin to make sense of it all now that we’re here?

I started in the bedroom. I need a functional bed, a dresser, and a closet. But wait, where are those bed slats for supporting the box springs? Where are those screws to attach the rails to the headboard? Where are the felt pads to go on the feet of the dresser so the legs don’t scratch the hardwood floor?

OK, let’s try the bathroom. I need a working shower, toilet and sink. What happened to the screws for the shower curtain rod? Where did I put that razor and shaving cream?

Hmmm, maybe the kitchen? Nope. The refrigerator needs to go in the spot where the wall was torn out, and several more cabinets are being replaced. There’s no room to put the plates, glasses and pots – even if I could find them!

Alright, then, I’ll take my books over to my new office at the church. There aren’t enough book cases in the office, so let’s take some from the house. My son dutifully assists in shifting 20 boxes and three book cases from the house to the church. I start unpacking the books. But where are the shelves? I can’t stand it anymore!!

We looked everywhere for those shelves. I thought maybe they’d gotten lost in the garage. I searched through the tools, trashcans and other boxes. No shelves. I went down to the basement; maybe the movers put the shelves down there. Lots of buckets, lots of boxes, some shelves – but not THE shelves. I was ready to give up. They were lost and I was not about to find them.

Every time I turned around, something seemed to be missing. “Where is it?” almost became a hypnotic mantra. I mumbled as I wandered through the house, “Where is it? Where’s it? Wheresit? Wherst? Wherrrrrrr!!!

Jesus told a story – several stories, actually – about lost and found situations. In Luke 15, Jesus tells about the shepherd who goes out to look for his lost sheep, the woman who lost her coin, and the father who lost his son. These are some of my favorite stories in the whole Bible. I think they are especially important today in our “here today/gone tomorrow” culture. There are things important enough to look for when they’re lost, to hold on to beyond the moment, to cherish and celebrate when they are found.

The woman who lost her coin had this to say: “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin!”

Jesus said this: “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

I eventually found all the missing screws, bed slats, toiletries, etc. and made progress in turning the house into a home. I even found the missing book shelves. They were in the church! During the moving process, the shelves had been taken out of the book case and set aside. They were set aside because one of them had slid out of place and slammed directly onto my son’s finger! In the midst of helping him deal with his pain, we put the shelves against the wall in the hallway and forgot about them. And I walked right by them at least a dozen times before they finally came to my attention.

I was so excited to see those shelves! Hooray!

But my joy is nothing compared to God’s joy when we find God. How often do we pass right by the most obvious signs and indications of God’s presence? How long are we going to ignore Him? What does it take for us to stop trying to lose ourselves in everything else but God? Have you lost your joy in the Lord? Are you looking for a peace that passes understanding?

Where is it?! Right here! In the church!!