Sep 11
Luke 15:3-7
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:
4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
_____________
All my life, I was the black sheep—
wandering on my own, learning the world independently.
I lost my way in the wilderness,
lurking in shadows, searching for a path home.
In 2015, I drifted, lost and uncertain,
carrying the weight of my mistakes,
until I found myself at the edge, at the crossroads of despair.
But in 2016, after the walls of the rehab center closed behind me,
I discovered a light I had almost forgotten—
God’s presence guiding me back,
showing me that even the lost are not abandoned.
I focused on healing myself,
breaking old patterns,
letting go of habits that no longer served me,
and learning to rise, piece by piece,
into the person I was meant to become.
God helped me.
He held me when I could not hold myself,
gave me strength when I felt weak,
and whispered hope when I could only hear doubt.
Now, I know:
being lost does not define me.
Falling does not diminish me.
The wilderness was only the path to my redemption.
Even a black sheep can find a way home.
Even the one who wandered can stand whole again.
Even the broken can be healed,
if they open their heart to God’s guiding hand.
He left the ninety-nine and chased after me.
I felt undeserving, broken, unworthy of such pursuit.
Yet with Him, I felt seen—truly seen,
as if every shadow I had walked through,
every mistake and every hidden corner of my heart,
was known and still loved.
In that moment, I understood:
I was not alone,
I was not forgotten,
I was found.
Even when I thought I was the black sheep,
the lost one wandering in the wilderness,
His eyes were on me,
His hand extended,
His love unwavering.
And in being found,
I began to see myself through His eyes—
worthy, held, and cherished.
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:
4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
_____________
All my life, I was the black sheep—
wandering on my own, learning the world independently.
I lost my way in the wilderness,
lurking in shadows, searching for a path home.
In 2015, I drifted, lost and uncertain,
carrying the weight of my mistakes,
until I found myself at the edge, at the crossroads of despair.
But in 2016, after the walls of the rehab center closed behind me,
I discovered a light I had almost forgotten—
God’s presence guiding me back,
showing me that even the lost are not abandoned.
I focused on healing myself,
breaking old patterns,
letting go of habits that no longer served me,
and learning to rise, piece by piece,
into the person I was meant to become.
God helped me.
He held me when I could not hold myself,
gave me strength when I felt weak,
and whispered hope when I could only hear doubt.
Now, I know:
being lost does not define me.
Falling does not diminish me.
The wilderness was only the path to my redemption.
Even a black sheep can find a way home.
Even the one who wandered can stand whole again.
Even the broken can be healed,
if they open their heart to God’s guiding hand.
He left the ninety-nine and chased after me.
I felt undeserving, broken, unworthy of such pursuit.
Yet with Him, I felt seen—truly seen,
as if every shadow I had walked through,
every mistake and every hidden corner of my heart,
was known and still loved.
In that moment, I understood:
I was not alone,
I was not forgotten,
I was found.
Even when I thought I was the black sheep,
the lost one wandering in the wilderness,
His eyes were on me,
His hand extended,
His love unwavering.
And in being found,
I began to see myself through His eyes—
worthy, held, and cherished.
