One day when I was 8 years old I decided to get off at a different bus stop after school. My grandmother lived in the same town in her own apartment and I decided I would visit her without telling anyone. Unknown to me my grandmother was out of town visiting friends. I knocked on her door and when she did not answer I sat down outside her door and waited…and waited…and waited. I was alone and didn’t know what to do. After what seemed like an eternity my dad showed up looking for me. Many hugs and tears were exchanged.
I’ve been thinking about that episode from my childhood in the context of our theme for this new school year “You are not alone…you’re connected!” based on John 16:32b-33. I was alone that day when my dad came and found me; without his pursuit who knows what would have happened. I did not remain alone because my dad did not wait for me to come to him – he went looking for me and re-connected me to my family. We can be thankful that we are not alone either; we have a Savior Jesus Christ who has established a connection with us that will never fail. And the great thing about that connection is that Jesus will seek us out if we try and run away or get lost along the way. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10).