Is anything worth losing Jesus?
I’ve been reading The Dusty Ones: Why Wandering Deepens Your Faith by A.J. Swoboda.5 In one of the chapters, “Losing Jesus,” Swoboda writes how even Mary and Joseph lost Jesus at one point. You’re probably familiar with the story of when twelve-year-old Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem while his parents began the journey home. As soon as they realized Jesus was missing, they asked their relatives if any of them had seen him (Luke 2:41-46).
Swoboda encourages all those who feel like they’re losing touch with Jesus to do what Mary and Joseph did. Talk about it with people who recognize what he looks like. Missing person flyers won’t help if we take them to folks who have no knowledge or experience of his presence.
I know a young woman who began struggling with her faith. Instead of asking for help from people who know Jesus, she turned to an Internet of strangers—people who knew neither her nor Jesus. They reinforced her doubts, leading her to a way that “seems right” but leads to death. How differently her story might have been had she asked people who know what Jesus looks like to help her. People who would direct her back to where she last saw him.
But deception and compromise often hide in “ways that seems right.”
The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to encourage one another daily so we don’t become “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). For at the very heart of sin lies deception. It lures us into thinking things about God that aren’t true. It’s the oldest trick in Satan’s playbook, beginning with Eve. Once we compromise our perceptions about God, our hearts will start to harden until truth becomes relegated to what “seems right” to our dulled sensitivities.
Losing Jesus. Two of the most heart-wrenching words I can think of. If you feel like you’re losing Jesus, don’t delay. Return to the place where you last saw him. Go to folks who know what he looks like to help you in your search.
Don’t fall for a “way that seems right.”
God, help me to quickly notice when distance creeps into my relationship with you. Help me to reach out without delay. Thank you for always caring for me. Amen.
Throughout the Day: If you feel like you’re losing Jesus, losing that closeness that once characterized your relationship, don’t delay. Take action today!