Leaving Paradise

(written October 8th, the morning before I left)

This will be a quick post – I’m afraid I have no time to stop and edit my thoughts so as to make them coherent and easy for you to follow.

That was a joke. XD

Well right now I’m in my room. An empty mattress is across me where my roommate’s face has been for 4 months. Boxes are taking up the floor. My window is boarded up, so when I checked the park webcam I was very surprised to find out it’s a nice day outside!

October 8th, 7:05 am

All I have left to pack up really is my toothbrush and blankets. Right now, however, the blankets are wrapped around me and I am unwilling to surrender them and get up to brush my teeth.

At 8 o’clock breakfast opens.

At 9 o’clock the shuttle arrives, and I will load my things into it to take down the mountain, and meet my family in Ashford.

So many good memories have been made here – I’ve grown, and learned things, and made friends.

It’s been a wonderful summer.

Now onto the next adventure!

Arriving

The view from my window

The uniform I would live in for 4 months

My view when I hiked Rampart Ridge for the first time

My first view of the Mountain on June 3rd

SIlver Falls

Grove of the Patriarchs. :)

My roommate and I made an adventure to Ashford and discovered… snails! :)

Lynnea, Lauren, and I hiked to Camp Muir! June 17th

Rampart Ridge, Take 2 – this time with Sara and Johanna :)

S’mores at Vince & Kristi’s

Narada Falls

Camping with Jenny & Sara!

After losing our way in the woods, Katie and I finally find Reflection Lakes! :)

And continued on to Pinnacle Peak

19th Birthday – aka best day ever with wonderful friends :)

View at Indian Henry’s

Employee Campout

View at Panorama Point

Nisqually Glacier

Sleeping outside

Early morning Rainier

Sunrise

Comet Falls

Snow Lake

Backpacking trip to Snow Lake

Deer at Eagle Peak

View at Eagle’s Peak

Another Season…

On Friday I have my last day of work, and on Saturday I will be packed and out of here! I don’t feel too sad about leaving, I must say, because 1) I have been here for more than 4 months now , 2) Most of my friends are already gone, and 3) I am excited for what new things God will bring in the near future. October is rather chock-full of events, including a drive to Boise, a concert, a job interview (and possibly job training), house-sitting, and the Women of Faith conference.  Whew! Where shall I find time for the important things such as Psych and Zoo Tycoon, I ask you?

Looking back it’s amazing to think of how many people I’ve meet and all the different things I’ve done with my new friends – camping, hiking, pouring ice down each other’s shirts , games, Bible study, s’mores… it’s been a most excellent summer.

Look at the difference of the Tatoosh Range since May:

May 24th

June 3rd

August 12th

 As well as the change in Mt Rainier:

June 3rd

September 5th

September 9th

September 20th - after it snowed again on the summit.

The end has been coming for a while – people have been leaving since the beginning of September, slowly returning to other jobs, home, or school. It’s been rather sad. My roommate left just this morning. We were lucky to be paired together and had some marvelous, fun times.

Now my room is empty, like when I first arrived. I started packing tonight (to Christmas music!) and it felt rather good – probably more because I was cleaning a room that had stayed rather messy for more than 4 months. I’ve wiped down the drawers, vacuumed, and have a final load of clothes in the washer now.

Yes, it is finally the end.

Well I would love to share pictures and memories all day, but the truth is tomorrow (now today) is one of my last days of work, and it is late, and I must get to bed. My memories are in my blog posts, and on my Facebook, and in my camera, and in my diary, and – of course – ingrained in my mind, for me to smile at as I remember the wonderful times I have had with my new friends on the mountain.

More adventures to come!

-Sarah

p.s. And yes, Mom, I realize how late it is, and yes, I am going to bed right now.

My Side of the Mountain

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written – in the last couple weeks I’ve done hikes to Comet Falls and Snow Lake on my days off (the former with a friend, the latter was an epic backpacking trip with my friend, mother, and brother). Last week I also went home for a job interview (Lord willing, I’ll have a job for when I finish here and head home!).

Anyhow, main topic: on the ride home (I hitched a ride on a tour bus, as us Rainier employees are allowed to do for free) I read “My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George, the 177-page, Newbery Honor book. For some reason I had acquired a desire to read that book while on Mount Rainier.

If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s about a 13 year old boy named Sam who lives in the Catskill Mountains of New York for 2 years (fiction), taking “only a penknife, a ball of cord, forty dollars, and some flint and steel”.

He burns out a shelter in a large tree, traps and fishes, makes his own deerskin clothes, and trains a falcon named Frightful to hunt for him.

Sam & Frightful

What 13 year old kid do you know that could do THAT?

As I was reading this book, I kept setting it down and staring out the window with a growing excitement. I want to do that! I want to catch fish and live in a tree and have a jolly good time doing it.

So one of my new dreams is to find a place in the woods that’s at least a mile walk away from any civilization, next to a stream or lake full of fish, and to live out there for at least 2 weeks. With friends. Sam might have been able to make it with just his falcon, Frightful, and the blue moon visitors, but I want to share this adventure with my mountain friends. I want to build a shelter and have a fire every night and catch fish and cook it… Oh I get excited again just thinking about it!

My pampered, spoiled self gets in the way when I start planning for this trip, however. When I think about what I should take and what I shouldn’t, the list of what I “need” could quickly reach to the floor if I let it. As a middle-class American, my idea of what I need is blown so out of proportion and ingrained in my very self, I don’t even know how to get down to the basics…

Common sense also worms its way in. When I think about how I don’t want to pack in any food (or very little), and just live on what I can glean and catch, my practical mind pipes in with “What if you don’t catch any fish?” “I doubt you could trap any animals…” and of course, images of eating the wrong plants and having to be carried out on a stretcher, green and sick.

Maybe that last image is a little drastic (I really should be a mom, I have such an overactive imagination of what could go wrong), but my American mind and “what if… and I die?” do hold me back a little. But my exuberance after reading this book will not be denied. I am determined at learn some wilderness survival and have at it… with company.

Let me know if you know of any land that would work!

 

 

P.S. The story ended rather sadly, as Sam was living happily on his own – but reporters showed up first, then his family. The latter built a home on his meadow and woods, disturbing his solitary wilderness. Rather a sad ending, I think, although I guess Jean Craighead George couldn’t have left the young boy out on his own. There would have been letters of complaint. If you haven’t read the book – or if the only time you’ve read it was when it was assigned in junior high – pick it up. It’s a quick, inspiring read. Any suggestions for other wilderness survival novels?

As surely as the sun will rise…

Your life is not complete until you sleep outside and wake early to watch the sky slowly fill with the light of dawn. My life is now complete. So don’t be surprised if you hear news that I recently died in my sleep, with a smile on my face.

Just joking! But last night I did borrow (aka steal) a friend’s sleeping bag and stake out a bench outside of the visitor center for a one-night bed. The moon was waxing and not quite full, but gave just enough light to write by. I choose the side of the building that faces the Tatoosh Range, since I would be able to see the light of dawn better there – and there seemed to be a warm pocket of air on that side.

Staring at the stars, it’s an odd thought to think of how they’ve stayed the same for so many years. (Yes, slightly changed, but overall…) How poets and travelers and homeless and lovers and writers and rulers and people from all centuries, wearing sweatshirts, robes, hooped skirts, suits, armor, kimonos… have sat and watched the same stars, with much the same thoughts and questions of life in their mind…

It’s an odd thought.

A fox came snuffling by and sat blinking at me about six feet away for a while, as if wondering “what are you doing here?”, before disappearing back into the darkness.

I liberally sprayed myself all over with bug spray – in the past week the mosquitoes have turned me riddled with bites and as twitchy as a man pursued by ax murderers. Fortunately they didn’t bother me this night.

I thank God for my young body, which can hike and work hard and sleep on hard wooden benches, with minimal soreness the next day. I know that this limberness (and yes I looked it up and that’s a word ) will not last long – so I enjoy it now while I can.

I woke by an alarm at 5:30 the next morning, and was at first confused as to why I had set the alarm so early, since it was still dark. I could see Orion just above Pinnacle Peak, and another, brighter star above it to the west – I wish I knew which one it was?

But looking to the east I could tell there was the faintest of lights growing above the hill.

The sky when I woke - 5:42am

It’s amazing how much the sky changes in but a few short minutes. I moved down to the stone wall on the loop road and watched as the sky turned lighter and lighter, from black to a light, pearly blue.

6:06 am

6:25 am

I gave up on my camera in frustration several times, since it couldn’t capture the colors and beauty my eyes saw. But then I would look away from the sky for a few moments and look back, and try again to take a picture capturing what I saw.

That’s one of the neat things about life, I suppose. No matter how much we try to coax our machines to capture the intricacy and colors and wonder of a moment, they fall short every time to our senses. We can only enjoy something to the fullest as we are living it. It makes me wish my memory were a hundred times better. I’m hoping for replays in heaven.

The sun deciding to be lackadaisical and off schedule (okay maybe it just felt like the sun was late in rising ), eventually I stood to stretch my legs and wandered back up to the visitor center, where I took some pictures of the sunlight from the invisible sun playing across Rainier the Mountain.

7:00 am

Having watched the sky slowly lighten for an hour by now, I had plenty of time to ponder whether or not today would be the day the sun would choose to break its own tradition and not rise. (Although what’s the meaning of “not rising”? I suppose that’s really the earth “not revolving”)

Like the stars in the night sky, the sunrise tells a story of constancy. For thousands of years, the sun has not ceased to warm the earth from the precise distance required to maintain life. The battle between the dark and the light, the delicate balance that results and that has not changed once (barring Joshua 10), is in itself either proof of a remarkable and coincidental machine, set ticking and now dangling in the emptiness of space, or of a God that does not remove His hand of protection from our world, but watches over every detail from the rising of the sun, to a bee setting wing, to the tide rising and falling.

I also thought of the story “The Day Boy and the Night Girl (The Romance of Photogen and Nycteris)” by George MacDonald.

And watched the horizon.

Finally.

7:08 am

As surely as the sun will rise...

...You'll come to us

...Certain as the dawn appears

"Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God's bright glory has risen for you. The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, But God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you." - Isaiah 60, The Message

It is a marvelous thing to wait and watch for the sun, wondering if it will arrive, and feeling a great sense of gladness when it does.

I felt almost proud of the sun, as if I had helped it up, like a child's parent cheering them on. Yeah, sun, you did it!

And with the transition from darkness to light complete and the world set at rights again, I set off back to my bed and a shower. After snapping a few more pictures.

Can you believe this miracle happens every day?

Flowers of Paradise

Ah, the post you’ve all… well, perhaps you haven’t been waiting for it, but I’ve been planning it for a long time so it feels like you’ve been waiting for it. If that makes any sense.

I’ve been realizing my sad ignorance concerning trails around Paradise – I’ve become so accustomed to traveling to snow-free places to hike, that now that the snow up here has melted and the customers are asking “where does this trail go?” “how long will it take to hike this trail?” I have no answer but “uhhhh… ask the all-knowing rangers!”

By the way our nickname for the rangers is Power Rangers. I thought you should know.

Continuing on: So this Monday I set out to explore the nearby trails. I hiked up to Myrtle Falls (a mere half mile from my dorm!), continued on the Skyline Trail, then traveled down to the Loop Road, continued along the Loop Road until I reached the main road, where I waited until the employee shuttle came by.

Insert Map:

I didn’t even think about how I could have hiked back on that trail that goes straight from Paradise River to Paradise Inn, until I made this map… Oh well.

So yes, that was my marvelous Monday hike.

But what I really mean to post about, and what the title and first paragraphs refer to, is the wildflowers! They’re not as plentiful this year (from what I’ve heard), but if you keep your eyes open they’re everywhere. I’ve taken pictures of as many different kinds as I can find nearby, here they are:

Supalpine Daisy

 

 

I’ve labeled these best I can with my wildflower brochure… click on any photo to see it larger.

Sitka Valarian

Broadleaf Arnica

Rosy Spirea

Paintbrush

Alpine Aster

Subalpine Buttercup

 

 

You wouldn’t think of flowers as moving objects, but with the wind that day, they were!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cascade Huckleberry

These beautiful green plants are everywhere!

Break from flowers - it's a marmot!

Myrtle Falls

And back to wildflowers... these are "Pasqueflowers"

Spreading Phlox

Avalanche Lily

Jeffrey Shooting Stars

 

That’s all the flowers I’ve captured so far, hope you enjoyed my show of my photography skills & Paradise’s beauty.

Life is Wonderful

I don’t think there’s been a day since coming here that I haven’t thought that. (I think there’s a movie back home I’ve been meaning to watch by that name…)

Far from giving me ideas for school and a career, my list of countries and things I want to see in this world is growing as I listen to stories upon stories from people who have been everywhere, worked everywhere, seen many crazy things. My wanderlust is growing and itching.

This week alone was fantabulous, consisting of a 14 mile hike on Monday (with Pride & Prejudice afterwards), trip to town and experiencing Sushi Land for the first time on Tuesday, …..work… for 3 days, and tomorrow a busy day at work, with the end reward being a ride home to enjoy the weekend (and a friend’s wedding!!!).

How fantastic is that??

Life is not completely wonderful, but sometimes it feels like it. And this is one of those times.

Stay tuned for another blog post.

Sarah

Pinnacle

This Tuesday, there was the odd coincidence that both my roommate, Katie, and I, had the same day off – this hasn’t happened since we first arrived! So we seized the opportunity and planned a hike.

On the morning of the said day, I woke up and looked out the window to a thick blanket of fog. It had been hanging around since yesterday and we had been optimistically hoping it would disappear… but since it was still there, I thought of other things we could do. Go to town… pick up a meal at a restaurant… go home! My home is three hours away, but I calculated it in my mind and decided we would have enough time to enjoy a home-cooked meal, which of course would be well worth the 6 hours of driving and gas $$.

When my roommate woke up, though, she was undaunted. And we ended up having a marvelous adventure.
We set our sights on Pinnacle Peak – which is a part of the Tatoosh Range that I can see from my window every morning, every night – right now as I type.

The view out my window - The Castle is on the left, Pinnacle to the right. We hiked to the saddle in between them

While it’s possible to start on road to Ohanapecosh, across from the Reflection Lakes, we choose to start right at Paradise – hike to the Lakes, then to Pinnacle. The hike across the valley was short and easy, and we reached the road quickly. We then took our lunch break in an awesome location – under a bridge!

Hike to Pinnacle Peak

The river flowed on one side of the bridge, leaving the rocks on the other side dry and perfect for us to perch on and eat our sandwiches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bridge over the Paradise River

Under the bridge

 After lunch we continued on… and proceeded to lose the trail. Well not really lose it, we just couldn’t find it… We knew it started somewhere along the road, but there were no signs and nothing that looked like it could be the trailhead. My dad gave me a topographic map of the park, so we used that to slowly eliminate & figure out where the trail would start – and my roommate finally spotted it.

These signs would be much more helpful if there was also a "Right Way" sign...

 

Katie found the trail! =)

The whole trail was in snow (it’s almost August now, ridiculous!!), so we… well, not exactly lost the trail… but forged our own. It was actually rather neat to use the topographic map to figure out where we were and where we were going. We did find the trail several times, and always had the mountains to orient ourselves.

We reached the lakes!

 

 

The Reflection Lakes are supposed to have a beautiful reflection of Mount Rainier on sunny days, but they’re still too covered with snow…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the Reflection Lakes we set out on the climb to Pinnacle Peak. The hike to the lakes had already sapped our energy, though, so we climbed pretty slowly and took frequent breaks. What had started out as a foggy day ended up slightly clearing, and the sun made a few appearances.

Reflection Lakes

 

You probably don’t believe me that the sun came out, eh? :)

These photos might as well be balck and white!

 

 

 

 

It got pretty steep near the end, and we climbed with hands and feet several times. Finally we reached the top of a tall hill and perched on some rocks and called that good (since we didn’t really know where the “end of the hike” was). Castle was to one side, Pinnacle to the other.

Castle and Pinnacle, up close

 

Pinnacle!

The view from the top - but let's zoom in closer!

And closer...

oooh look, buildings!

the Visitor Center at Paradise, where I work!

On the way back down we glissaded since it was so steep – glissading saved a lot of time, too. It was different than at Muir, since there weren’t chutes that many people had taken, and we had to be careful not to run into trees or rocks. Katie had never glissaded before so she was nervous (but then again, she’s also paranoid that I’m going to kill her while sleep walking…). We went slow and she only lost control at one part but stopped herself in time. Really I think she had a lot of fun cause she wanted to slide down every little hill from then on.

We reached the lakes again quickly and our jeans were soaking wet (yes, we went hiking in jeans…). We didn’t want to hike back the same way we had come for fear of getting lost again – it was later in the day and we were tired by now. Sooo we waited til a car drove by and Katie stuck out her thumb! For the first time! This nice lady from Belgium was kind enough to give us a ride back to Paradise – we carefully sat on our coats so as not to get her carseats wet. All in all it was a successful first hitchhiking experience, and cut 2-3 miles of walking back.

And of course getting back… one of the best parts of hiking, especially hiking in the snow. We got our cups of hot coco, changed into dry clothes, and watched a movie. Excellent ending to an adventurous day.

Thanks for reading, more pictures on my Facebook!

Sarah

 

Pea Soup Fog and Periwinkle Sky Days

Following is a blog post containing random spurts of thoughts from Sarah’s mind, intended to be an update on all going-ons at Mount Rainier for the last several days, and full of trivial details which the reader is not obligated to find important…

Hello all.

The weather seems to be following a general pattern of several days of pea-soup fog, followed by several days of pure blue skies that outline the mountains beautifully.

The webcam for today - oh just look at that beautiful mountain!

I feel sorry for the visitors that come during the former type of days – one woman joked to me that she had determined Mount Rainier was a hoax and we made it all up. It is amazing how the mountain can completely disappear – even when the Tatoosh Range in the south is visible. If I could make the weather clear for every visitor,  I would!

I think my favorite “mood” for the mountain is not when it’s invisible (obviously) or even when it’s silhouetted against a periwinkle sky (oooh look I must be feeling poetic, just used periwinkle in lieu of blue. XD), but when there are several clouds around it… in that instance I feel like there should be dramatic orchestra music playing… and a helicopter taking a sweeping air shot… Ha ha, just kidding. But really that’s the time when I think the mountain is at its most glorious. Next time I will attempt to capture in a picture, to show you what I mean.

My week of work ended up being extended, and I worked Sunday, which is normally my day off. Both Saturday and Sunday were gorgeous, which meant excellent news for visitors and the cafe business, but 7+ hours of non-stop rushing around and endless dishes for us employees. I cashiered all of Saturday and some of Sunday and have developed a good steady rhythm – although sometimes I feel like a robot saying the same script to every customer.

“Is that everything? Total is $12.88. Thank you. Please sign. Do you want your receipt? Thank you.”

At first it was strange being switched to cashier instead of being behind the line, but now I rather like it. (I’ve grown attached to my register, ha ha). And it’s always a good feeling at the end of the day, especially a busy day, when the cash balances or comes pennies close.

Here’s my list of what I love/dislike in the customers (I’ll come back and add more as I think of them…):

Love:

• All of the different accents, of course!
• The foreigners that don’t know the currency, and hold out a handful of coins, or even a wad of bills, and I just take out what I need. (The other day I got to use the few words of spanish I knew, telling some Mexicans that the quarter was worth “veinte-cinco” cents, “de nada” to their gracias. The boy asked “Where is the… and made a sucking sound,” and I pointed to the straws. “How did you say that?” he asked and I repeated the word straw. Just very fun to teach English to those that want to learn.)
• When they just use my name (from my nametag) as though they know me and are good friends with me.
• When they tell me to keep the change.

Dislike:

• When I ask “Is that everything?” and they reply “Yes… and four sodas and a hot chocolate.”  ….
• When I put up the chairs to close off a section… and they pass right by the tables that are still open and take down the chairs to sit in the “closed” section… so I can’t sweep and mop until they leave… grrr
• How they don’t understand when pizza is two for one. “Ohh, two slices for one dollar?” Yeah, you wish. XD

The good part about working on Sunday when I normally wouldn’t, is that my next work week is shorter. I have Monday and Tuesday off, and leave around noon on Saturday to go home for several days. My birthday is in a week and I’m using it as an excuse to take a slightly longer weekend – I’ll get to spend 2 days at home. I’m so excited!!

My time off today was so exceedingly boring, you would fall asleep on your computer just reading about it. The fog was too thick to go hiking. Tomorrow I’m hoping it will be clearer, as it will be the first day my roommate and I have the same day off. We’re planning on hiking to the top of Pinnacle Peak.

I have now run out of witty and amusing things to say – oh wait, I never did have any :0)… so I’ll sign off.

That’s all, folks!

Sarah

I don’t want to hear those words… (One Man, One Woman)

I wrote this a couple days ago when a guy said something about my appearance… I ran down to the rec room to get something and he called me sexy. I think he had been drinking, ha ha. But I came back to my room and my mind was in a turmoil, and I hated how those words made me feel… like a piece of meat, or an object, belittled and not valued…

So I wrote this down. “Those words” below doesn’t necessarily refer to “sexy”, could just be “beautiful”…

Okay I’ll stop talking.

 

 

I don’t want to hear those words.

I didn’t realize it til now, but when I dressed this morning, and looked at myself in the mirror as I made sure everything was perfect, I was thinking about those words, and hoping the eyes that saw me would think them, and maybe someone would say them, but now, as you grin at me and say the words I realize I wanted to hear, I just want to cover my ears and run away from your stare.

I wanted those words, I now realize, but I didn’t want them this way. I didn’t want how I looked on the outside – the way the sun shone on my hair and the way everything happened just so to make me look amazing – to draw the words from you, words flowing not from love of my character, but from a lust for my looks. I didn’t want you to say those words that you say to every pretty girl. I want to be special, set apart in your eyes.

Is it too much to ask, that you only look on me that way? When I see that lust and want for me in your eyes, is it too much to ask that I be the only one you desire?

One man, one woman. That’s how You created us, Lord, how You set forth marriage to be.

One man, one woman.

If I keep myself pure for one man – refuse to look on others in a way I should not, even as I now wait for what may never come – is there any guarantee there will be a man out there, waiting for one woman, that will be me?

I have set standards this world laughs at and does not respect. Our claims are opposites and cannot exist together – they claim happiness comes from being free, I hold to God’s promise that there is greater joy in being bound to one man.

You have set me apart, I will be set apart in all that I do. Now ends chasing after meaningless words. Now begins finding my All in You.

Whether or not my one man comes along, who will choose me as his one woman to be bound to him for life, I choose now to wait for him. And to stay pure for him.

Lost

Our internet’s been going down, and whenever it does work I end up checking my email, Facebook, taking care of my Travian village…. you know, all those important things. And then by the time I get around to my blog the internet’s down again.

So this is a post I started a week ago now…

On Thursday, our cashier Steve had a day off and went for a hike. The next day, he hadn’t come home that night and no one had seen him… they started the search and by the next day, Saturday, we were pretty worried! While I worked I thought of him… I was cashiering, and all of his words of advice he had given ran through my head. When I saw little kids, I thought of him because he loves to make faces at the younger children.

Praise the Lord, on Saturday afternoon they found him. The tension that had been in our cafe was released and a new feeling of joy flooded in. We kept saying to each other – “I’m so glad Steve is okay!” and “I can’t wait to hear his story!”

As it turned out he had been hiking from Rampart Ridge to Comet Falls – some of my friends just did that hike a few days before he did, or at least tried to. They lost the trail in the snow several times, and I saw their videos – sometimes they were walking on a steep slope that dropped quite a ways down.

Steve spent two nights outside, having broken his ankle and fallen into a ravine. He either landed in or crawled to a tree well, where he was protected from the wind and elements somewhat, but where the heat sensors from the helicopters couldn’t detect him. He packed smart and came away with only his broken ankle, a broken rib, and hypothermia. WOW. Praise God!

Being made in God’s image, the feelings we experience are feelings that God experiences also. In Luke 15 Jesus talks about that wonderful feeling after you’ve found something that was lost. He gives three examples -

A man with 100 sheep, who loses one.

A woman who loses one silver coin of ten.

And a man who joyfully welcomes back his son who has grossly insulted him, and returns broke, to work as a servant.

In all of these stories, there is something that is safe and secure, and there is something that is lost. There are 99 sheep, safe in the pen. There are 9 coins, still sitting where the woman left them. There is a son who never left his father, never stopping working for his father’s business.

Luke 15…29 He answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
³¹ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

I can see why the brother would get mad – I would be pretty mad too, if I were in his shoes. But I’m also glad  God is so concerned with the lost… because I’m pretty sure none of us can say we’re always secure at home, like the safe sheep, and coins, and dutiful son. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love… We can make a fuss over how many people were out there searching for Steve – but if I were him, I would want everyone and their cousin looking for me, too.

And that’s what God does. He pursues.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow (Hebrew word radaph - to run after (usually with hostile intent; figuratively (of time) gone by) — chase, put to flight, follow (after, on), hunt, (be under) persecute(-ion, -or), pursue) me all the days of my life.”

I’m so glad God’s nature is different than ours. We give up on people, break promises, and are unconstant. God, however, is faithful and trustworthy, and will not give up on us.

For thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day… I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

-Ezekiel 34

 

“My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray;
They have turned them away on the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill;
They have forgotten their resting place.
“ The children of Israel were oppressed,
Along with the children of Judah;
All who took them captive have held them fast;
They have refused to let them go.
Their Redeemer is strong;
The LORD of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their case,
That He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
-Jeremiah 50

 

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”
-Matthew 18:11

 

The next time you find something you thought you had lost (or knew you had lost!), savor that wonderful feeling, and know that that’s what God feels when you choose to call Him Father, and return into His arms. For your return He throws a feast and parties.

If you walk away from God, and if you stop and choose to turn around, you have but to take a step – God will run the rest of the way to take you back into His arms.