And welcome back to Nextdoor Gospel. I'm Peggy Griffith, and I am so glad to be spending time with you today. It is the fourth week of Lent and whatever you have going on in your life right now, I hope today's episode finds you and meets you wherever you are on your journey. And speaking of journeys today, I wanna talk a little bit about lostness. I'm not sure if that's a word, but, oh, well, here we are. It's my podcast, so it's a word today. So I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in a social media post that I had taken a girls trip with three of my besties in early February. We went to the Riomar area of Puerto Rico and it was a trip. I didn't know how much I needed after all of the events of the past year. We had an amazing time. Several thoughtful conversations by the pool. We soaked up as much vitamin D as our Wisconsin winter skin could safely absorb while using sunscreen. Of course, it was so very life-giving all the way around, and I even won$300 at a slot machine at a nearby resort. So what's not to love?/ Now the friend who pulled it all together has been going to this area of Puerto Rico every year for about the last 15 years or so, and it was great to be there. With her because she knew the area, she knew all the great eating establishments and the places around, and we are already talking about doing it again next year, and I am all in for it. On our last morning there, we took a walk down the beach and back, and as we walked and talked, we kept our eyes open for some unique shells or sand dollars or maybe a piece of sea glass. We spied cute little crabs scurrying back to their little hidey holes. But my friend mentioned that people like to look around for something that the locals called a lucky nut. And she said they are hard to find and you can find them washed up on the shore sometimes. Well, lo and behold, as we were concluding our walk and literally heading toward the walking path to take us back to our condo, I spied a really cool looking artifact in some sargassum, and it looked really cool. It was a beautiful brown outer shell, and it looked like it was made of wood. So I picked it up and I put it in my pocket, and as we were walking back I said, Hey, I think I found a lucky nut. And my friend took a look and said, Hey, it's a lucky nut. I've never found one in my 15 years walking that beach, so I happily put it back in my pocket. Now for a 49-year-old that can't use a computer without my cheaters on, I was pretty impressed with my keen eye for this little nugget. And since I like to research things and go down long rabbit holes of knowledge, I wanted to learn more about this little, this little thing. I found out that this lucky nut is also referred to as a sea bean or a drift seed. These little treasures come from rainforests all over the world, and they're carried by waterways to the ocean where they drift until they wash up on a beach somewhere, perhaps thousands of miles from their origin. I. And of course I even found a Facebook group where I posted a picture of my little discovery and quickly learned that I have found a highly sought after sea purse. The species name is Dioclea Reflexa, and they are native to South America and even Central Africa, and it's called a sea purse because it has a flat end that resembles a purse that my grandma might have carried. It has a hard outer shell that protects it from the salt water and allows it to buoyant float along with the currents for at least 18 years. It is a true long distance drift seed, and at some point it gets tangled up in some seaweed and washes ashore somewhere, until an adoring bean collector scoops it up. A precious and unique treasure in their hands. So needless to say, I think I may have found a new hobby and I see many more beach vacations in my future. I'll post a little picture of this treasure on the Nextdoor Gospel, Facebook and Instagram. Well, as you might imagine, even as I talk to you about this adorable little bean today. I'm getting all goose bumpy and reflective around the biblical and life parallels to be drawn about the journey of a single sea beam lost and drifting for years, stories and secrets of the ocean that will never be told until it is found and celebrated. So you see where I'm going with this, right? You know, I can't help but think about how much we are like these sea beans, sometimes drifting along life's currents, perhaps far from where we started, sometimes feeling utterly lost at sea. Our hard outer shells protect our hearts, and yet just like that little sea purse I found. We're never truly lost to the one who treasures us and calls us. Good. The Bible has a lot to say about lostness, specifically in Luke chapter 15. Jesus tells three parables on the topic, and I've been reflecting on them ever since I learned about my little drifting treasure. First, there's the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one that has wandered off. And then we have the woman who turns her house upside down, searching for a lost coin. And finally, there's the father who watches the horizon daily, waiting for his prodigal son to return home. Now what strikes me about these stories is how they reveal God's heart toward us in our lostness. In each case, whatever is lost is precious to the seeker that shepherd. He values that one sheep enough to leave the others temporarily. And the woman sees worth in that one coin, even though she has nine others and the father's love for his wayward son never diminishes no matter how far he strays. I mean, I'll be honest, if I lose one earring from a$10 pair I bought at Target, I might look around Halfheartedly for a minute, but then I'm like, oh, well, and I tossed the other one. God isn't like that with us. It's more like the way I am with my phone or my car keys turning everything upside down until what's lost is found. But these parables get really interesting because you notice how each story ends. It ends with celebration. The shepherd calls his friends together and says, rejoice with me. I have foul my lost sheep. The woman invites her neighbors over and says, rejoice with me. I have found my lost coin. And when the prodigal son returns, the father throws a party so extravagant that the older brother gets jealous. And you know, sometimes I think that we all think of lostness as a punishment. Like God is up there shaking his head, saying, well, you wandered off and now you're on your own. That's it. But the God I know is a relentless seeker, the one who follows us into our lostness. I mean, think about Jonah, talk about lost the man ended up in the belly of a big fish, but even there in that slimy, dark and hopeless place. God was with him and brought him back. Or you can consider the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. That's an awfully long time to feel lost. But even in their wandering, God provided manna every morning and the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. God never abandoned them in their lostness. I wonder how long my little sea purse drifted in the ocean. Days, months, years. Did it travel thousands of miles from West Africa or South America? Did it survive storms and predators and pollution to finally wash up on that beach in Puerto Rico at exactly the right moment for me to find it? I'll never know it's full journey, but I know this not once during its drifting was it truly lost. The same currents that carried it away from home, eventually brought it to shore. The same waves that might have seemed threatening, actually transported it to where it was meant to be. And friends. Perhaps the same is true for us In Psalm 1 39, David writes, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast, even on the far side of the sea, even in our most lost places. God's hand guides us as well and holds us fast. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 43, verse two says, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. And you notice it doesn't say if you pass through the waters, but when. God knows we'll have seasons where we feel like the currents are too strong and we're just drifting. But God promises to be with us in those waters. So I don't know what kind of lostness you might be experiencing today. Maybe you're like a sea bean feeling tossed by circumstances beyond your control. Maybe you're like the prodigal son, aware that your own choices have taken you far from home, or maybe you are like the lost coin feeling as though you've fallen through the cracks, unseen and forgotten. But wherever you are, whatever kind of lost you feel, you are not lost to God. God sees you and God seeks you, and God rejoices with delight in you, even more than an enthusiastic bean collector on the beach. And you know, I keep that little sea purse on my desk now. I look at it, I hold it in my hands and run my fingers along the smooth outer shell. I'm reminded that God specializes in finding what's lost. So if that's you today, take heart, the one who counts the hairs on your head and calls the stars by name has not forgotten you, and perhaps even your lostness is part of your journey home. And when you allow yourself to be found, all of Heaven celebrates. And that's it for this week's short episode of Nextdoor Gospel./ If you want to see a picture of my little sea purse, treasure, head over to our Facebook or Instagram page./And at this message resonated with you, please share it with someone who might be feeling a little lost right now. And remember to follow next door gospel so you don't miss next week's episode. And until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift his face toward you and give you peace. Amen.