Do you remember the last time you cried out, “Thank you!” to our amazing God? Thank you for finding me when I was lost. Thank you for bringing me into your family and promising me a home with you.  Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for today and for all the blessings I don’t even recognize! With so many things to be grateful for, all I can say again and again is thank you, my amazing God!

What are you grateful for today? God’s grace. His Mercy. His forgiveness! For the beauty of his creation? I’m thankful that God is my Great Shepherd who comes to find me when I get lost. And I get so lost so easily. Lost in my own thoughts, ambitions and selfishness. Lost because of deliberate choices, or by straying from God’s way.

Just today, God winked at me, and reminded me of his saving grace – and he did it in the most unusual way, with the help of a few innocent, helpless, day old baby chicks. It was just after dawn and the rooster was still crowing. Dressed only in my shorts and t-shirt, I bravely peeled my way through the thick mosquito filled air to feed my chickens. But when I opened the chicken house door, four baby chickens fell onto the ground, right at my feet, while another dozen scampered away – like mice racing across the floor.

You see, unknown to us, a momma chicken had been brooding in a hidden nest, so we weren’t even expecting babies! And immediately after the four tiny chicks landed on the ground, they darted under the chicken coop and erupted into a chirping chorus. Now I don’t speak chicken but their words were unmistakable as they sang, “I want my mom! I want my mom! I want my mom!”

The babies knew instinctively, that without their mom to keep them warm, and protect them from danger, they would soon die. So, I laid down on the poopy chicken ground and reached as deep as I could under the coop to try and rescue those helpless chicks.

All this reminded me of Jesus’ great story, “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish” (Mt 18:12-14).

Can we even imagine being that shepherd? Walking those hills all alone in the dark night. Eyes tired but still looking, ears on red alert for any and every sound, legs exhausted from searching as he heads even deeper into the hills for his one lost sheep!

No wonder the man rejoiced over finding his sheep! And no wonder, after an hour of crawling on my belly, donating my blood to hundreds of mosquitos I also rejoiced when I finally had that last baby chick in my hand, so I could return it to it’s momma’s nest. Yes – I rejoiced over a little, chick!

Now think of how Jesus, donated all his blood, as the sacrificial lamb of God, to save us. To find us when we were so lost. To rescue us. All because he loves us. What an incredible display of devotion and love! No wonder God rejoices when we turn to him! When we are found and safely back in his hands! Oh thank you, God, for not leaving us alone and lost!

How could God possibly show us greater love? And while God is singing over our rescued souls, let’s sing right back to him. Thank you for finding me. Thank you, God, for rescuing me. Thank you, God, for never giving up on me!