Lost and Found—Moving Forward

(Geranimo/Unsplash)

I was lost once. Losing my GPS access, I had no idea which direction I should be facing or which way to turn. I was totally confused. When I got to a place with phone service, I was able to turn on my GPS and easily find the way to my destination. With my life’s direction, I have sometimes been lost with more serious confusion and danger. But my guide through life—my Savior, Jesus Christ—never loses power or function. I’ve been blessed to be lost and found, moving upward toward my destination.

When we are lost in life, we can easily be disoriented, confused, worried, and discouraged. But Christ guides us gently to find our purpose and follow our path. Once we find our purpose in life, we can improve our life trajectory and stay focused on important things as we move upward in our daily as well as major decisions and behavior.

Up From Dreaming

 Growing up, I thought I was going to one day play football in the NFL. Many young football players have had this “destination” in mind. It’s perfectly normal to think of reaching the highest levels of any skill that we enjoy. We almost think of that as our purpose.

I can remember the day that dream was no longer an option for me. In college, it became clear that I wasn’t going to become a starter or receive a scholarship.  This reality was difficult to accept, and I felt lost without my dream. But I was lost and found when I was blessed with a different area of focus, which gave me new excitement, new challenges, and new fulfillment.

As I have gone through my life, I have often enjoyed a shift in focus with an opportunity to feel new purpose in my life. My lasting happiness has often been connected to a focus I gained at a lost and found experience of change. President Russell M. Nelson teaches, “the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” He reminds us, “For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!”

Up From Slavery

The children of Israel experienced being lost and refocused in their transition from slavery to freedom. They left their homes without a destination they understood, following a series of incredible miracles many might not have understood. Anyone would feel confused, disoriented, and lost. They were rescued from slavery, but had to experience being lost and found as they traveled with uncertainty for the road ahead.

If they had better understood and focused on the purpose of their travels and destination, they would felt more lost and found security. God wanted to bless them; His purpose was to bless them. Their purpose should have been to follow Him and reach the land He had promised them.

God provided His people  with the food and water they needed, as well as an easy way to cure serpent bites—and much more. He proved they would experience being both lost and found as they trusted in and focused on Him. But a golden calf was easier to worship, and it seemed more “substantial” as a symbol of finding for those who felt lost.

Focusing on and depending on Christ should have been their purpose. Their path should have led to becoming a people who loved, respected, and followed God. They had to wander lost for another 40 years until the lost calf-worshipers had died. The lost and found cycle was completed before they were found worthy to enter the promised land

The Savior said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” We’ll be found much more quickly and easily if we devote our lives to  worshiping and obeying Him.

Up in Vision: Lost and Found as He Leads Us

I used to sing in a Christian boy band—Jericho Road. Early on we spent most of our time working on dance routines and songs that we thought would bring us fame and acclaim, perhaps nationwide. However, after several attempts lost in chasing fame and glory, we started to feel like we needed to change our direction and our focus. We discussed questions like “What is our purpose?” “What are we trying to accomplish?” “What do we want listeners to think or feel as we perform?”

I can remember a long drive that we took as a group. Our discussion turned to Christ. We realized that our lost and found transition would be in sharing music with positive principles that could lead people to have Christ in their lives. Once we re-purposed to include Christ, we were contacted within two weeks with an opportunity to record our first CD.

I have never doubted that our opportunity was directly connected to our focus on the Savior. This purpose and focus have led to many moments of fulfillment, happiness, and joy. Bringing Christ to others has increased my faith and my testimony in Christ, which has brought more joy into my life. In essence, I have found myself, because I lost myself. I lost who I thought I was and become who God knew I was.

If we feel lost at all in our lives, the only way to find ourselves in a lasting way is by focusing on and finding our purpose in Christ. He is the Savior, the Redeemer, the healer of all wounds, the answer to every question, the solution to every problem, and the path to be found for every lost soul who needs to be found.