When God Finds Us

“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost… Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” — Luke 15:6.9

Let me start with a confession: sometimes, I feel lost.

Not “I can’t find my phone” lost—though that happens too—but the deeper kind. The kind where you wonder if God has misplaced your name, lost your number, or maybe has more pressing things to do than keep track of you.

It’s not an unfamiliar feeling for many of us—especially those who have spent time on the margins, or who’ve been made to feel like they don’t quite fit in. In church spaces, this can be especially painful.

Maybe you’ve walked into a sanctuary and felt invisible.
Maybe you’ve felt like your body, your mind, or your way of being in the world didn’t “match the mold” of what the church seemed to expect.
Maybe you’ve felt unseen, unheard, or quietly pushed to the edges.

That feeling—that ache of being lost—is something Jesus speaks directly into.

The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin

Luke 15 tells us two short stories: one about a lost sheep, and one about a lost coin.

At first glance, they seem almost quaint. A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one? A woman turns her whole house upside down for a single coin?

But the deeper we look, the clearer it becomes:
These stories are about you. About me. About every person who has ever felt unseen or forgotten.

Picture the lost sheep. Ninety-nine are safely grazing. One wanders off. And the shepherd goes after that one. He risks the ninety-nine to find the one.

That’s how God loves us.
Even when life feels overwhelming,
even when we feel invisible,
even when we think, “I’m just one among many,”
God sees us—and God cares enough to come looking.

And the lost coin? The woman sweeps and searches every corner until she finds it.
God’s love is like that—quiet, persistent, and personal.
And when she finds it, she doesn’t just tuck it away and move on.
She throws a party. She rejoices.

That’s the God we serve: a God who celebrates when we are found—no matter how long it takes, no matter how lost we feel.

For Those Who Feel Overlooked

I often think about how these stories resonate in conversations about disability inclusion in the church.

Because so often, people with disabilities are unintentionally treated like the “lost” ones—the ones who don’t quite fit the typical church structures, schedules, or spaces.
And when someone feels excluded, it can begin to sound like:
“I’m too much trouble.”
“I don’t belong here.”
“Maybe church isn’t for me.”

However, the truth is that God never stops searching.
God never stops claiming.
And God rejoices when the “lost” are brought fully into the fold—not as an afterthought, but as beloved, vital members of the Body of Christ.

When Jesus tells these parables, He isn’t shaming the lost—He’s celebrating them.
Imagine if our churches did the same.

Found—and Fully Included

Inclusion is more than just providing ramps, large-print bulletins, or hearing loops.

It’s about how we see people.
It’s about recognizing that everyone belongs—not when they meet our expectations, but because they are made in the image of God.

Jesus doesn’t wait for the sheep to find its way back.
He goes out and carries it home.

That’s the model: not waiting for people to fit in, but actively making room.
Not asking people to earn belonging, but offering it freely, joyfully.
That’s what it looks like when the church lives as if we believe God rejoices over every single one of us.

God’s Joy is Contagious

There’s something else about these stories that always makes me smile: God’s joy is contagious.

The shepherd doesn’t just smile quietly when he finds the sheep—he calls his friends and neighbors. The woman doesn’t silently slip the coin into her purse—she throws a party.

Their joy spills over.
It becomes communal.
And that is what the church is meant to be—a place where God’s joy in finding us spills over into how we treat one another.

Who in your church might be longing to be found?
Who is quietly wondering if they belong?
It might be someone with a disability.
It might be someone grieving.
It might be someone who simply feels invisible.

We can be the hands and feet of the shepherd.
We can be the sweeping, searching love of the woman with the coin.
We can be the ones who notice, welcome, include, and rejoice.

Living as the Found

So when you feel lost, remember:

God hasn’t forgotten your name.
God hasn’t lost your number.
You are not invisible.

Even when you can’t see Him,
God is working, searching, and rejoicing in your life.
Even when you feel lost,
God is persistent. God is patient. God is faithful.

And when God finds you—because He will—He won’t just quietly mark you as “returned.”
He will rejoice.

And He’ll invite you to rejoice too.

Because in God’s kingdom, there are no spare parts, no disposable people, no “extras.”
There is only the joy of being found—and the calling to make sure everyone else knows they belong, too.