Itz Holistically Wholesome

Have you ever, at the last minute, decided to change what you planned on posting to something else? Well, I have many times, and my most recent is this post, which I was impressed to write. I was in bed when my phone alerted me to a message. As I picked up the phone to check, I realized that it was my daughter, and for some reason, a tiny wave of concern came over me as to why she was texting. She left the house for school not so long ago, and two, she does not text that quickly, if she ever does, unless she wants something.

As I opened the chat, it read, “Mommy (with a sad face emoji), I woke up late and literally had to run to get my bus, but that is not even the worst part. Can you pleasse do me a favor?” I grew a bit more concerned at this point, but not in a wrong way, though, because I did not feel something had gone wrong but more like I would have to take her to school. Anyway, I asked her what it was, and she replied that she dropped her keychain and wanted me to look for it. I had a rolled-eye moment because all this was over a keychain. I told her I would see if I found it, but it would have to be after I dropped her brother off at school, which I did but did not see anywhere. See the conversation below.

So I was walking down this long stretch of a road, pushing my baby in the stroller, looking for a tiny keychain for my daughter. I walked the entire block up and down, but nothing. I knew the chance of finding it was slim because no one would walk past it if they saw it. It was a cute key chain in the shape of a bus with the word ‘Jamaica’ on it, which she brought back as a souvenir from our trip to Jamaica only a few weeks ago. While walking around, I began to think about the bible and what it had to say about seeking to find it, and my next thought was you should make that your post for today. Now, I am not the most obedient, and I am working on it, so since I believe that the Holy Spirit laid it on my heart to share, I complied. What I love about the word of God is that it is tailored to fit every situation in our lives, and if you do not believe me, take the time to verify it for yourself. Even as a blogger, you can connect your content and that of the bible beautifully.

Two accounts in the bible regarding seeking came to my mind at that moment; the first is of the woman who had ten coins and lost one, so she relentlessly searched until she found it, and the second is the story about a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. He lost one, and even though he had ninety-nine, he left them and looked for that one lost sheep. I have posted the complete account right below:

Parable of the Lost Coin – Luke 15:8-10

 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Lost Sheep – Matthew 18:10-14 

10 “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

Luke 15:1-7 

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 

What I particularly like about these parables is the importance placed on seeking to find. In both accounts, something valuable had been lost, and the owners would not dismiss it and carry it as if losing that one thing meant nothing; no, they had to find it no matter what. What is also interesting is that in these examples, we are the lost coins/sheep, and the owner is Jesus. We are so valuable to Him that He cannot bear to lose any of us, so He pursues us with love and encourages us to do the same. My heart broke when I had to tell my daughter I did not find the keychain. I did not want to disappoint her but had hoped to bring her good news. And while it may seem a minor thing to lose, and indeed it is replaceable, to her, it was meaningful, and she wanted to find it. 

Just imagine how heartbroken Jesus must feel when we refuse to seek Him or when He pursues us but we constantly reject Him. Can you imagine how heartbroken He must be for those who are eternally lost? If you cannot fathom that, think briefly about how you would feel if you lost your spouse, children, or career you worked so hard for. You will be crushed, right? Jesus feels that pain but to a greater extent because no matter how deeply we love our family, Jesus has a far greater love. 

Now, if we apply this concept to our daily lives, seeking would mean lawfully going after the things you desire for yourselves. Indeed, not everything you lose you will find, even after you have searched, like in the keychain case. Yet, some of us have lost our goals and aspirations because we do not want to work towards them but somehow expect them to fall on our laps, even when we lack the necessary skills or abilities. Seeking means getting the necessary education or qualification for the job we want so badly, getting up and starting that business we have been thinking about for years, or if it is that your health is compromised, it means exercising, making a lifestyle change, and following the directives of your health provider. And when you do so, you do it with all your heart, without ever giving up until you are successful or have found it.

So my final words to us are to Seek, but be careful to seek God first. At the same time, the scriptures say we are to seek God while He may be found Isaiah 55:6. Another verse says seek ye first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). This is a promise, God is saying that when we seek Him first, we will find him and everything we desire, He will give us according to His will. 

Beloved, let us adopt the principle of seeking until we find with as much urgency as the tone of my daughter’s message. And let us begin with Jesus.

God bless.