Lost
Stories
THE WONDER OF WORDS: BOOK 2
ONE-HUNDRED MORE WORDS AND PHRASES SHAPING HOW CHRISTIANS THINK AND LIVE
"I come here to find myself. It is so easy to get lost in the world." Those words are inscribed on a plaque at the "Singing Tower" at Mountain Lake in central Florida. How do people get lost? When Jesus had to defend his lifestyle toward people who had gotten lost, he told some stories as illustrations. Some people, he said, get lost like sheep who foolishly nibble themselves away from the flock. Other people, Jesus said, get lost like a silver coin, out of circulation and useless in the dust, because of someone's carelessness. Still other people get lost like a young prodigal son, whose wastefulness turned his family inheritance into a personal failure. And some people, Jesus said, get lost like the prodigal son's elder brother, whose selfishness made him jealous, self-righteous, and self-pitying. You can lose your sense of direction by foolishness, wastefulness, selfishness, or the carelessness of others. The word lost comes from the word lose, which is derived from the Latin verb "luere," to loose your hold on something, to let it slip away.
Faith's answer to lostness is in the affirmation about God: "He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake." (Psalm 23:3) Billy Graham once told a story about an American aviator who had to parachute into a jungle in Burma. A Burmese came along, slashing his way through with his machete, trying to get the American aviator out. The American was scared to death, afraid he was going to be captured by the guerrillas. He called out: "Where's the way? Where is the road?" The Burmese, in broken English, turned to him and said:
"I'm the way. Follow me!" When you feel lost in the world, remember that's what God is saying to you through Jesus of Nazareth: "I'm the way. Follow me"
Faith's answer to lostness is in the affirmation about God: "He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake." (Psalm 23:3) Billy Graham once told a story about an American aviator who had to parachute into a jungle in Burma. A Burmese came along, slashing his way through with his machete, trying to get the American aviator out. The American was scared to death, afraid he was going to be captured by the guerrillas. He called out: "Where's the way? Where is the road?" The Burmese, in broken English, turned to him and said:
"I'm the way. Follow me!" When you feel lost in the world, remember that's what God is saying to you through Jesus of Nazareth: "I'm the way. Follow me"

