Being lost is one of the worst feelings. Period.

When I was a young boy, maybe 6 or 7, my family went to a theme park for some mid-summer fun. I remember riding the rides and eating all of the theme park foods…dad if you read this, thanks for paying for that because now I’m the dad paying for food at theme parks and WOW! The day was an absolute blast but as it was coming to an end I remember having a strong sense of confidence. We had been all over the park that day and I was pretty sure I knew exactly where I was at and who I was with. The place was mine! As this confidence built, I started walking ahead of my family a little. And then I would go a little further and a little further. I remember seeing a really cool station in the park that had hats and bracelets that seemed to have all of the lights ever. I was so distracted by all of the flashing at first, and then i had a feeling I was drifting around just a bit too much so decided to stay close to my parents. I reached up for my dads hand and grabbed it. I was holding it for about 5 seconds only to look up and realize THAT WAS NOT MY DAD! I didn’t even know this person. I started panicking, turning left, right and looking behind me, scrambling to find a familiar face. But I couldn’t find my parents anywhere. I. Was. Lost. It was a terrifying. I was devastated and numb. There were so many people. Everywhere! How was I going to ever be reunited with my parents? Thankfully, that moment only lasted maybe thirty-five seconds. As I was giving up hope and starting to plan my future living at this theme park, I heard my dads voice “Chad!” A sweeter sound could not have been heard in that moment. I was SAVED! I never wanted to feel that level of separation from family again. Even though that day was a roller coaster of emotions (pun intended) I remember feeling the importance of knowing where I was in proximity to Mom and Dad going forward, whether I was at a theme park or a grocery store. I got myself into trouble that day losing track of where my dad was. Thankfully he never lost track of me.

Sadly, that day was not the only time I have been distracted by the lights of life. I have walked away from what is important to my life before time and time again. But even when I was totally lost because of my choices, and I lost track of God, he never (thankfully) lost track of me.