"The Parable of The Lost Pug!"

Me and my wife have two daughters, one two and one 4 months old.  About 10 months ago we decided to get a puppy so that our oldest daughter would have a companion to grow up and play with.  Not long after we brought the puppy home we discovered my wife was pregnant with our second daughter and now we would have a puppy and a newborn - lucky us!  We named our black pug puppy "Scrabble."  Scrabble very quickly became a part of our family and my daughters best friend.

It was pretty funny watching them chase each other around the house and play keep away with each others toys.  Our daughter also started to blame everything on Scrabble.  "Riley what happened?"  "Scrabble did it!"

We had to go out of town for a few days and had some friends come over to take care of the dog while we were away.  The second day we were gone, we got a call that she had gotten away while she was out using the bathroom.  I immediately drove home to help try to locate her, but had no luck.  I called her name all day and all night, I drove around the whole city looking for her.  We had signs made up and spoke to all the neighbors.  We were in contact with the dog shelters and animal control...but had no luck.  Our daughter kept asking us where scrabble was and we kept stalling hoping for a miracle.

I had to go out of town on business a few days later and my wife was left with all searching duties.  She was unloading a few signs from the van at the house, and she called out again a few times before heading back into the house...then she heard a jingle.  She turned around and saw Scrabble running out of the woods behind our house, all covered in mud and scratched up, she had been missing for over 3 days.  My wife called me ecstatic and I was overcome with joy.  She was so much a part of our family already and our daughter loved her so much, I couldn't have imagined not finding her.

This great story of finding our lost puppy really made me think about a familiar passage in scripture.

Luke 15:1-7

 ¹ Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  ³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

I wonder what kind of pain we put God in when we go astray?  I wonder if his heart aches at the thought of us being lost and away from him?  I can't imagine what the pain of losing a child must be like, and I wonder what kind of suffering Jesus endures when he is dealing with one of His children that are lost.

 I'm grateful we serve a God who never gives up on us, never keeps searching for us.  And who would leave the other ninety-nine, just to look for us.

Maybe today you might find yourself a little lost, perhaps this is the day for you to make your way back home!