By Layton Dutton Associate Pastor of Youth Calvary Baptist Church Evart The other night I was at the church after youth group and a distraught young lady came into the office. She had lost a most valuable possession and was searching everywhere to find it. A ring had fallen from her finger and was now missing. She looked all over the foyer, certain it had dropped somewhere in that area during the Sunday morning service. After every possible area had been thoroughly inspected, she left unsure that the allusive ring would ever be recovered. But only a few moments later, the office door opened again. This time there was not a distraught lady, but a relieved and happy one. As she was returning to her car in the parking lot, she noticed something on the ground. She bent down and recovered the missing ring! Sadness turns to joy in a moment like that. God talks about such a moment in Matthew 18:10-14. He tells the parable of a lost sheep and how the shepherd looks for his sheep until he finds it. Then he rejoices over that sheep which was lost and is now found. He ends the parable with this summary, “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” God desires for us to come to the fold under His protection and guidance. He doesn’t want any of us to end up in the trouble and grief that sin will bring. But when we do, He is that Father who searches us out and brings us back. I find it interesting that the next section of Matthew 18 is about the brother who sins against you. There Jesus tells us that “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.” Why would you do that? Why not just ignore him and be done with it? The same reason that God looks for us when we wander off through no fault of His own. So a broken relationship can be repaired and so we can come back under the protection and guidance of the One who cares for us. Is there someone who has hurt you? Don’t hold a grudge or avoid them. Lovingly go to them and seek to repair what has been broken. If it is fixed, then there can be much to rejoice over.