The Lost Sheep

Today the Lord showed me his heart as reflected in the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:12-14. "How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And is so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
This morning, as I sat in church before the service, I was observing the people coming in and being seated. I saw a man leading a woman who looked quite frail, maybe even sick. The first thing I noticed that she was young, and I felt so sad for both of them. Then I noticed that there was a young girl with them, and again felt the sadness. Then I saw some more people that were with them, and I was shocked. I began to realize that this was a family, and not just any family, but one with whom I was acquainted. These were my former neighbors. The neighbors who tortured my family for months, the ones who seemed to hate us because we were Christians. The ones whose names I never even knew because they hated me before I could ever get their names.
My heart was cut to the quick. I was overwhelmed with tears. My mind was racing. I could not believe they were in my church. These people who spat out the words "born-again christian" with such contempt were here in my church. I could not forget my initial assessment of sadness over a woman who looked so frail and sick. She did not seem to be the same woman who had knowingly and willingly approved and enticed her children to curse at us. I began to pray. I prayed for the mother who seemed too frail to be healthy. I prayed for the daughter who called the police and falsely accused my son of something. I prayed for the youngest daughter who was led into calling us names by her siblings. I noticed that one son was missing, the one who seemed to thrive on ways to antagonize us. I prayed for the father, that he would be able to lead his family in a godly direction.
For those of you who know us, you know that we moved because of these neighbors. Just at the time when the real estate market was about to come to a screeching halt, they started harassing us. Because they were happy to call the police with false reports, we felt we had to move. In the five months that followed, while our home was being built, we never regretted that decision. We have never regretted it since. We lost a lot of earthy wealth because of the move, but we gained a faith that was less shakable, we learned to trust the Lord with our lives, and we have neighbors that we truly love. We absolutely LOVE our new home, and thank God often for giving it to us.
Just before the whole neighborhood thing started about two years ago, I had been praying and asking God to show me if the hearts of my neighbors were open to hearing about Him. When all this happened, I felt I had my answer. I was being picked on for the sole reason that I followed Christ. After we started sharing with friends what was happening, several people mentioned to us that the Bible says to shake the dust off your feet if you are not welcomed in a city. I knew this was a pretty severe thing because Jesus said in Matt. 10:15 "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city." So, when we left the neighborhood, we took that thought. That we were shaking the dust off of our feet. By the way, God sent us a miracle, in that we had an offer on our house which closed in about 21 days, and with no repairs requested, no extra money spent on our part.
The only thing I could think of today when I saw this family was, I can't imagine what brought them to the point of entering a church when just two years ago they detested the very word christian. I saw in living color the lengths that Jesus would go to for the lost sheep. I've always known that the Bible says, He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, but in this moment, I truly felt God's heart.
Many times during the worship,and the service I found tears streaming down my face. I just wanted to run up and hug these people. Believe me, I know that church attendance does not secure anyone's eternal future, but the fact that they were there was a huge victory in my eyes. I must also confess that I was ashamed. God showed me that while I had moved on and left these people behind, he was most concerned about them. He was still out searching for them. I also felt shame for the unforgiveness I held in my heart toward them. I asked God to forgive me for not praying for them more, for not forgiving them for their acts toward me. My thoughts went to Stephen and the words he spoke, so like Jesus, Lay not this sin to their charge. I prayed that for this family.
Why do I tell you this story? First, I have been profoundly moved today. I cannot deny the power of what happened in church today, and am writing this as a testimony of what the Lord has done in my heart. Second, I ask you to pray for this family. I honestly do not know their names, but God does, and he's searching for them. Finally, I ask you to search your own heart and make sure you are not harboring unforgiveness, or search it to make sure you have a heart for the lost sheep like Jesus does. The scary part is, I would have said I forgave them, but God knew and I believe that is why they sat two rows in front of me this morning.
I pray that I get to meet these people. I would love to just pretend that we had never met before. I believe that love covers a multitude of sins, and I would love to get to know them better. I would love to put my arms around that frail woman and tell her how much Jesus loves her. I want her to know the peace of God. I pray that we could some day be a testimony of how God restores and gives life. Most of all, I pray that they will come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.