Amazing Grace

Our little Kellie girl, a few weeks after she was lost

Having your child get lost is a common nightmare that mothers share. I mean, how many of you never had the nightmare of seeing your child's face on a milk carton?

I know that it was certainly one of my greatest fears when my children were little; especially after my daughter disappeared for 15 minutes at the Beach & Boardwalk in Santa Cruz! It was early August and we went on a mini-vacation for a few days to the beach. Our oldest son was not quite 6 years old, our baby was just 5 months old - our daughter was almost 3; really, still a baby herself.

On this beautiful day at the beach we had enjoyed playing with the kids with a beach ball and building sandcastles. The 3 older kids were still building a sandcastle while I began to feed the baby. My husband was holding him as he didn't sit up by himself quite yet, and my daughter was sitting directly behind my husband so I could not see her. I remember asking him where she was and he patted her little head as she sat behind him and assured me that she was "right here." A few moments later (I told you it was a nightmare of mine to have a lost child) I asked my husband again where our daughter was, and when he went to repeat the action of patting her head - she was not there!

Kellie, 4 months after the day she was lost at the beach

We asked the boys where she had gone and our second son nonchalantly answered "she went to get some water." I don't think I need to tell you that we jumped to our feet immediately and began calling out and running toward the beach to see if our daughter had gone down to the water...she was nowhere! Our next step was to go to everyone that was around the area where we were sitting to see if they had seen our daughter - and while most of them had noticed her (she was very adorable if I do say so myself) none of them had seen her leave the area. By then we were beyond panicked, crying out, running all over the place, praying out loud...anything to find our little girl! Finally a good 15 minutes later we finally found her; a woman that was sitting near our family on the beach found her wandering around looking for us. Our independent little girl had gone to the bathroom to get water for her sandcastle!


I don't think I ever got completely over that experience to which my children can attest, but it did help me to better understand some things that have changed my perspective.

1. Now, I believe I know, or have some feeling, how desperately God does not want us to be lost! "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10

2. I learned that there is no shame in what you are willing to do find your lost loved one. We were not afraid to talk to anyone, we were not embarrassed to pray out loud in a crowd of people. We didn't care if anyone thought we were nuts, or weirdos...we had one objective - to find our lost little girl. As Christians we should be bold about reaching the lost. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

3. I know the joy of finding someone that was lost for a time. "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." Luke 15:24

God, our Heavenly Father, does not want anyone to be lost - He sent His only Begotten Son Jesus to seek and to save us because we were lost. He wants us to carry on that work and carry the Gospel of Jesus to a lost world. "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

I am so thankful that my daughter that once was lost was found...how much more does the Heavenly Father want to find His precious creation in His presence and not lost for all eternity! He has amazing grace - let's take it to the lost so that they too can be found.

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
was blind but now I see

Have a wonderful day!