Finding the Lost

Many years ago my mom’s stepbrother and wife stopped by to visit our family as they would do on occasion.  Danny was her stepbrother’s name.  When he and Dad got together, they would commiserate on their times in the Service.  Danny had served in the Army, while Dad had served in the Marines.  There was often friendly banter between the two.

At the time, both men were smokers, and their discussion about the effects of smoking turned into a competition.  I think what transpired was this:  Dad maintained that even after smoking for decades, his health was virtually unaffected by it because of the discipline he received in the Marine Corps.  But he argued that Danny wasn’t as fortunate and because the Army did push the soldiers to the same discipline as the Marines and therefore, Danny was more adversely affected by smoking.  Danny rebutted the fact and then the two agreed to a race.

We lived in a housing development that was shaped liked an “h.”  Dad and Danny agreed to run around the “h” to prove who had less effects on their body from smoking.  The first one to return to the house would prove his point.  It was about a half mile around the development and it was dark out, but there were a few street lights to illuminate the road. 

Dad asked Mom to be the timer and the two set off running from our doorstep.  After what seemed a long 15 minutes, give or take, Dad popped in the door moderately winded.  “Where’s Danny?” he asked. 

“He hasn’t come back yet,” was the reply.

“Okay.  I’ll go look for him.” And off Dad ran to find him.

Many minutes passed, and the two finally showed up at the door.  Danny was hanging on Dad’s shoulder as he led him to a nearby chair.  Danny was horribly out of breath and couldn’t speak for a few minutes.  Once he caught his breath, he told my father, “Richard, I will never doubt you again!  I am so out of shape, I could never have even run once around the block, but you did it twice and you’re not even winded!”

Danny had run about 1/3 of the distance and tried to keep up with Dad, but he was no match for him.  When Dad returned to find him, he took Danny’s arm and wrapped it over his shoulder, and then cut through a couple of yards to cut off half of the run.  My dad bantered in jest with Danny a bit longer, but Dad was really a humble guy and didn’t pridefully laud his victory over Danny.

Although I can’t say that my dad was a believer in Jesus Christ at the time, I see how he, in this one of many instances, reflected Christ’s love.  He didn’t sit and just wait for Danny to return to the house, he went after him to make sure he was ok and to help him home.  The Bible shares Jesus’ parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:4,  “What man of you, having 100 sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it” [check this out!] “he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

Is there someone in your life that needs you to help carry them?  Don’t wait for them to come to you, go to them, put their burden on your shoulders and carry them home, and here’s the important part:  do it while rejoicing!!