By Katy Mariotti

The Will of my Father

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
Matthew 18:12-14 English Standard Version

My kids love to climb things. This past weekend was a banner weekend for them, as they got to climb both giant rocks and trees. Their desire to climb makes me feel at the same time both proud and terrified. When I see them up high with big grins on their faces my stomach drops.

If you look closely at this picture you’ll see a little face up in this tree, so proud of herself. But soon after I took the picture my daughter said, “how do I get down?”  After the advice of, “go down the same way you got up!” she still couldn’t figure out how to get herself down. Did I leave her up there? Did I say, “okay, I guess you live in this tree now. Bye, we’re going home!” Of course I didn’t. I helped her.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation and thought, “how did I get here?” As much as we wish we wouldn’t, we as humans are going to make mistakes. And sometimes those mistakes take us so far away from God’s plan that we can no longer see a way back. But Matthew describes the parable of the lost sheep. God our Shepherd doesn’t leave us up a tree. He comes to find us because He loves us, and He rejoices in us even when we get lost. Just as I will help my young daughter out of a tree if she needs it, God will help us find a way back every time, because He loves us- it is His will that none of us will perish! Praise God for that!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado