“Lost and Found” at the General Conference Session

Whether it be with online road directions using satellite technology that often doesn’t account for detours or unforeseen roadblocks–or the old-fashioned, hard copy road maps that were always such a challenge to fold back up, man has always searched for ways to prevent becoming lost.

And yet, on the way to the big General Conference session this summer in St. Louis, during and after my stay there, I was witness to a lot of people getting and becoming lost—and, thankfully, being found again.

On our way there Friday, we took one wrong exit on the highway when we were close to the hotel I had reservations for, delaying our estimated time of arrival there slightly, but we encouraged the one in the car who had misguided us not to feel bad for the inconvenience it had caused. It was, after all, an easy-to-make mistake, given the many road signs and lanes of traffic we were grappling with. Life, too, gets burdened with many hard-to-make choices that cause us to take longer to get where we’re going.

After being carefully carried, coddled. and settled by my loving family in my hotel room, I was left to prepare for the biggest event of my life the next day: witnessing the worldwide convocation gathered for the purpose of finding direction for the global church family that had found me over fifty years ago. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, I had discovered, was a place where many lost and found experiences happen every day—before and after our baptisms.

There were countless cars and pedestrians as we got near “the dome” the next day, where the meetings were to take place. All of these people, it seemed, were hoping for a way to get inside where important events were to take place on this longed-for “high Sabbath”. It was time for the church family to celebrate, after an arduous week of decision-making and “map creation” for the church that would hopefully prevent us, its members, from becoming lost so many times.

Once inside the dome, I was lovingly met by a “fellow traveler”, a friend who had been alerted that I needed some special assistance in the form of an identification badge to wear around my neck. This would allow me to get the most out of my experience that day and I was so thankful for the generous allowance and effort made for my comfort. This reminded me of the need for more church disciples: those whose goal is to keep fellow church travelers from getting lost. We need “guides” all along the way to get us to our final home with Jesus. Everyone needs to be such a disciple-guide. Even back home in our small church gatherings, we can get lost in the ever-widening world that surrounds us.

Looks were deceiving as we headed for our seats in the dome. My “guide” pointed out signs that looked closer than they actually were, probably due to their enormous size. “The elevators are just ahead of us,” he’d point out. But the distance to them seemed endless for someone with pulmonary challenges like mine.

A couple of times my guide friend left me briefly to sit on my walker seat and catch my breath or wait for my racing heart to calm down. During those times sitting alone, considerate strangers seemed to pop out of nowhere, asking if I was alright—and/or offering a word of prayer with me. Nothing can bring your pulse down to normal more than knowing the Lord sends people like this to your rescue. Lord, may each of us hone our skills of finding the lost this way. Not just by noticing them, but by taking the time to make their burdens a little lighter.

During the worship service, someone came to report that it looked as if a small child, about 3 or 4 years old, may have become separated from his parents. A concerned individual cared enough to report it to someone who alerted security personnel, and they took steps needed to reunite the little boy with his family. This reminded me that it isn’t just the elderly who need special attention and care. All age groups, even those in the middle, have needs that the church can and must address.

Here’s one final illustration of my many lost and found experiences that weekend. One would think after leaving such an inspirational worship experience as I’d had that Sabbath, that I would never get lost again myself. I assured my friend, driving us home, that I knew the way when we got closer to our hometown in Nebraska. But alas, we had used a different route than I was familiar with and I ended up giving him directions that caused us to have to re-direct our course and arrive again slightly later than we had anticipated. So, let’s never think we know the way and that we can’t be lost after finding Christ. There are thousands of detours Satan uses to entice us off the path of salvation. We must stay alert at all times, for ourselves and others. This is our mission in life—the same as it was for Jesus: