How to Find Our Way Back to God: "Lost Until the Light Comes"
How we get lost
Children can get lost from their parents simply by wandering off by getting distracted: through something that seems attractive to them at that moment. In my book, 'Lost Until the Light Comes', Chris is attracted by the squirrels. They are so cute and playful that he can’t stop looking at them and follows them. Then, of course, he finds himself lost.
The need for children to be vigilant to what their parents are saying to them about staying within eyesight etc. is crucial. This story is however more than that. It’s an allegory of everyone’s life in the spiritual realm too. Because it’s when we get distracted by things that seems attractive – even by telling a lie to get ourselves out of a tricky situation – that we stray away from our Heavenly Father and fall into sin.
How are we found?
When Chris gets lost in my story, he does his best to stay safe by climbing up a tree and into the tree hollow. It’s a place where the wolf, that is pursuing him, won’t be able to get at him. He is safe for now….but real safety and comfort comes when he calls out to God. God answers him by calling back and asking him to follow Him! He also sends him the Light of Christ to encourage him to come out of his ‘hidey hole’ and to be re-united with his beloved family once more.
It's just like this when we stray from God and commit sin, isn’t it. That’s how I feel anyway. I feel that I cannot even speak to God because of what I have done. But that, my friend, is the devil’s tactic to keep me and you from God! God, on the other hand, wants the complete opposite. He longs for us to say sorry to Him and to come and ‘make up’ with Him through the sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.
Hiding..
I know that for many years it was my pattern to ‘hide’ from God after I had committed any sin because I was so ashamed. I just wouldn’t speak to Him. As a child it would take me days to process the whole thing before I could bring it ‘into the light’ an talk to God about it in prayer. Now, in my latter years, I have learnt that the sooner I say sorry and run to God and to the confessional, the sooner I will be re-united with Him and happy once again.
The Prodigal Son
What comes to my mind is the story of the Prodigal Son. As the bedraggled son crept his way back to his father’s house….the father who, was looking out for him, and saw him at a distance – came running to meet him. I still find this image hard to believe but this is the reality of God’s loving embrace for each of us.
