It is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. – Matthew 18:14
Lost people and animals occasionally find their way home. Every so often, a heartwarming story hits your news feed highlighting an unlikely tale about a dog walking for months across hundreds of miles, or a lost child miraculously surviving alone in the forest but, by and large, lost people and things remain lost unless someone actively sets out to bring them home.
God, in His love for humankind, uses the picture of lost little ones to tell you something about Himself. He is passionately working to bring every person into His fold. Some people respond to God with equal passion, drawing close to Him and serving His Kingdom on Earth. Some ignore His call, while others may answer His call, yet do not stay near Him, tending to wander off from His care preferring to linger at the dangerous periphery of His estate.
The little ones referred to in today’s parable of the Lost Sheep are not rejectors of the faith found in other stories. They are immature and confused believers caught up in the lies of the world. It can be tempting to become frustrated with those proclaiming an understanding of the Truth of Christ yet behaving in contradictory ways to that knowledge. Your role, as a mature believer, is to show them the loving heart of the Savior, gently, kindly, and lovingly pointing them back to God.
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