Get Lost!

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.- Luke 19:10


I like to get lost. Not horribly, about-to-fall-off-the-face-of-the-universe lost, but enough lost that my heart begins to race and my palms start sweating and I have to pay attention to where I am going.

Sometimes, I try to get lost on purpose. Driving along a familiar road, I will intentionally turn left instead of right; or walking through the woods I will purposefully turn down a less-traveled path. This is not normal, I know.


Occasionally, when I try to get lost, I hit a dead-end and have to turn around. Other times, I get so lost I have to ask for help to get back on track. But, more often than not, getting lost on purpose allows me to see things I've never seen before and experience things I might not otherwise get to experience. And it gives me a chance to test out my inner compass: that thing inside me that tells me where I am and how to get back to where I want to be.


Living sacrificially can be a lot like getting lost on purpose. When you choose to give up something, you are choosing to turn left instead of the same old right; you are leaving behind the tried and the true and choosing to live on grace alone.  


Going without, you will have to pay attention to where you are going as it can get scary. There will be times when your heart will race and your palms will get sweaty and you will get so lost you have to ask for help. But, as Lent has taught me this year, if you stick with it you will see sights you have never seen before and experience things you never dreamed possible. And, if nothing else, you will see where your inner compass is pointed and how to get back to where you want to be. - Kelly Jenkins Lin


Heavenly Father, As we stumble along trying to live a sacrificial life like Jesus, teach us what it means to live by grace alone. Help us to pay attention to where we are going so that we might experience the wonders of Your love and find out where our inner compass is truly pointed and, more importantly, how to get back home again. - Amen