Have you ever been lost? I mean really don’t know where you are, what you’re doing, “how did I get to this place?” lost? I once wouldn’t or couldn’t admit that to anyone. But, if the truth be told, I’ve been emotionally, clinically, physically, chronically and of course, spiritually lost many times in my life.
It’s no accident that finding me by me coincides with me finding my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Lost in the secular realm can mean a lot of things, including simply being lost in time and space. Geographically, that can mean not knowing which direction to turn in order to get to a particular place at a specific time.
Spiritually being lost runs the gamut from borderline lunacy to physical depravity, from chasing your own tail to sniffing everybody else’s. Consider those times in your life when you couldn’t explain your own dumb behavior to anyone, including yourself. Think about all of those times when you were in the middle of where you weren’t supposed to be, but chose not to leave.
If you engage in destructive behavior but can’t stop, live a lifestyle you despise but feel obligated to continue, stay in an abusive situation and won’t leave, love yourself so little that you lose sight of who you really are, blame the world for your predicament and won’t do anything to change it, you just ain’t lost. You “oh hell naw” lost!
If being spiritually lost is a state of mind, doesn’t it stand to reason that being spiritually found is also a state of mind? You all know how it feels after being lost and then finally getting going in the right direction. You’ve not yet reached your destination, but you experience great joy in the fact that you absolutely know where you’re going.
Finding yourself spiritually brings the same feeling, only tenfold. In that moment of understanding, confusion gives way to clarity, lunacy gives way to sanity, turmoil bows to peace, purpose replaces insignificance and the angst of the spirit is replaced by faith in the Almighty.
I believe once you find yourself spiritually, there is one irrefutable fact you must acknowledge. You can no longer plead ignorance to the ways of the Lord. No longer can you play victim to your own self-induced frailties. No longer can you claim weakness as an excuse for succumbing to your self-inflicted wounds.
This newfound spirituality thing bears a price tag for redemption. Salvation does indeed require a paradigm shift. But it’s okay. Just like being on the wrong highway all night and finally finding the right one, even though you’ve gone far out of your way, there’s nothing like finally getting it right. Now it’s just a matter of time.
“He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the time or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you’…”
Being found is so much better than being lost, and being spiritually found is considerably better than being spiritually bankrupt. I’m glad to know the difference.
