Lost at Sea

“Where is that pearl?” Mira worriedly wound a strand of her long, lavender
locks around her finger. She swam up to a glistening sea anemone and peered
around it carefully. Nothing! “Hey girl!” Mira whipped around to see the
freckle-filled face of her best friend grinning back at her. “Lena! You
scared my tail off!” Mira huffed, smoothing her turquoise scales. Lena
laughed and said, “What are you looking for so intently? I don’t think you
would have noticed a flotilla of swordfish!” Mira grabbed Lena’s arm.
“You’ve got to help me—I’ve lost the Pearl of Protection!” “Wait—you’ve
lost the very pearl that protects all of Merlantis from enemy
invaders and now it’s out there just waiting for the Ligores to find it?”
Lena’s face grew pale. “Keep your voice down!” Mira shuddered. The Ligores
were the fiercest kind of tiger sharks known to mer-kind. Their jaws had
been known to slice a mer-tail in half, their manes barbed with stinging
tentacles that would render the victim immobile for up to a day.
“Sorry—I’ll help you search.” Lena swam quickly over to the coral reef, her
fuchsia tail blending with the bright colors of the reef. Hours later, Mira
and Lena hovered at the edge of Skelton, the ship graveyard of the deep.
“If the Ligores stole the pearl, they would hide it here.” Mira tried to
keep the fear from seeping through her whispered words. Lena nodded
solemnly, and they swam forward together. Deep in the hull of the third
ship they searched, Mira noticed a board sticking up from the floor at an
odd angle. She motioned Lena over, and they tugged until the board came
free, revealing a pouch that looked as though it had been crafted from
Ligore skins. Grimacing, Mira pulled on the strings that she hoped were not
entrails. Inside lay the glistening Pearl of Protection. “Once it was lost,
but now it is found.” Lena breathed with a victorious smile. Mira enclosed
the smooth pearl in her palm. “Oh Lena, I’m so thankful we found it! Let’s
get this beauty back to Merlantis where it belongs then we can
celebrate!” • Savannah Coleman • In Luke 15, Jesus told three parables
about something lost: a sheep, a coin, and a son. In the first two
instances, the people who lost things searched until they found them. But
in the parable of the lost son, the father was eagerly waiting to welcome
his straying son home with open arms. God the Father rejoices when the lost
are found (verses 6-7, 9-10, 22-24, 32)! How might this truth give you
hope? • Just as Mira and Lena searched for the pearl until it was found,
and the people in Jesus’s parables searched for what was lost, God never
stops seeking those who are lost. He desires that all people come to Him (2
Peter 3:9). He is the God who provides a home for the lost, safety for
those in danger, and rest for the weary. He sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue
us from bondage and set us free by dying on the cross and rising from the
dead (Ezekiel 34:27; Luke 4:17-21). If you haven’t put your trust in Jesus,
are you ready to come to the One who provided a way for you to be found?
(Romans 10:9-13) If you have questions about this, who are trusted
Christians in your life you can talk to? (You can also find more
information on our “Know Jesus” page.) • Jesus also told a parable about
how the kingdom of heaven is like an extremely valuable pearl. He said,
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had
and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46). As God seeks us with deep love, He also
longs for us to seek Him. Why is knowing God more precious than anything
else? “For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke
19:10 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Ezekiel 34:11-Ezekiel 34:16; Matthew 13:44-Matthew 13:46; Luke 15:7-Luke 15:10; Luke 19:10