The Lost Dress

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went into Leeds to spend the evening together. Whilst we were there, we found a shop which sold a lovely dress. I tried it on and it seemed a perfect fit, so I bought the dress, and left clutching my new bag with it in.

After a lovely time at a local restaurant we went home in a taxi. However, at 4.30am I woke up suddenly in a panic. Where was the bag with the dress? I realised it was not with us.

A long and complicated scenario then took place. I will spare you every detail of the quasi-forensic process but it included going back to the restaurant (CCTV confirmed I left with the bag), calling the taxi driver and going over every single detail of the evening in a slightly obsessive nature. The next morning, I awoke to a text message from the taxi driver confirming that he had the bag and dress, but was away from Yorkshire and wasn’t back for two days.

After yet more waiting, I was eventually reunited with the bag and dress. A moment of relief indeed.

When I look back, it made me feel slightly guilty. Had we got our priorities wrong? We spent an awful amount of time looking for something lost which was essentially just a piece of fabric. On the other hand, we were determined to find it. It mattered to us that we could find the dress.

However, most of life’s little anecdotes help me understand how God feels about us. I couldn’t help but think of the three little stories in the Bible that Jesus told about things which were lost. In every story, the person who had lost something searched high and low for it, and when they eventually found it, they were full of joy. It mattered to them.

These three stories (three being the Jewish number for perfection) were told by Jesus to show us how God feels about us. He is passionate about us. When we are far from him, he waits patiently for us. When we spend time in his presence, he is overjoyed that we are united.

Someone asked me last night, what is the good news of Christianity? It’s this – you are loved by God, just as you are. God loves you, likes you and loves being with you. And you matter to him. Even if you think you’re a bit lost right now.