Lost and found…

Recently, our little cat Leia went missing. It couldn’t have happened at a worst time. My mum, Pam had recently passed away and we were in the middle of preparing the funeral.

At first we didn’t realise that she was missing. We were pre-occupied with other things, but then realisation dawned that we had not seen her for a day or so and her food had not been touched.

We did all the usual things to try and find her…called her, rattled her food, asked our neighbours to search their sheds and keep an eye out.

We then went further afield and searched the surrounding park and woods. We notified and put leaflets in surrounding streets and through letterboxes. We notified the vet.

Days passed and no cat. We kept looking but there was no sign of her anywhere.

After a while we stopped daily calling her name and rattling her food tins. We stopped actively looking.

The only thing I could do was pray and encourage my family not to give up hope. I asked God to keep her safe and return her to us.

This Sunday morning 8 Jan I woke up and went downstairs to make a cup of tea as per my usual routine. There sitting in front of me just looking at me was our missing cat. I couldn’t believe my eyes..oh the joy to see her. It was so unexpected.

After checking her over, loving her and feeding her, we then notified our neighbours, family and friends and those who had been searching for her too. They were all overjoyed for us too and shared our happiness.

Leia had been missing for 27 days and then returned when we least expected it.

We don’t know what happened to her to prevent her coming home. Perhaps, she was trapped somewhere and then set free. Perhaps she just went adventuring and strayed a bit too far. She came home though.

Have you lost something or know someone who is lost? Perhaps this little story of mine will give you renewed hope not to give up or will inspire you to seek out again those that are lost.

Jesus told several parables about the joy that comes when you recover what has been lost. When I was sharing the news with my friends and neighbours I was reminded of these words of Jesus.

“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds ? And when she has found , she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the coin which I had lost!’

In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” Luke 15.8 -10 NASB

I pray that this year many lost souls who don’t know Jesus or have lost their faith or lost their way will come home to their Father’s House.