Lost...

Many years ago, almost six to be exact, a boy named Kevin flew down to California to visit a girl named Stacy. It was just after Christmas, and they were pretty happy with one another...one might even call it love. The boy, wanting to show his appreciation for the girl, brought her a Christmas gift. It was their first Christmas together, and he wanted to give her something special. During one of the many trips Stacy made to Canada, Kevin had gotten some of his friends to ask her what kind of jewelry she liked. They were wise, and they just casually put it into conversation. He then gleaned the information from them, storing it away for this Christmas to come.

Stacy and Kevin were sitting on the couch in her apartment, just watching tv, holding hands, enjoying being together. Kevin reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black velvet pouch, and gave it to the girl, saying "Merry Christmas!" Stacy opened the pouch, and out spilled a beautiful pair of earrings. They were exactly her style! She loved them, and she put them on right away. They were truly the nicest earrrings she had ever had-for she normally bought $5 earrings at Claire's! Stacy loved the earrings and especially loved that Kevin had picked them out and given them to her. She wore them every day!

Stacy moved to Canada, and eventually she and Kevin got engaged! On the night of their engagement, of course she received some incredible jewelry that was even more special than the earrings, but she still loved those earrings, for they were the first nice jewelry that Kevin had given her, they had a special place in her heart. That night, however, Stacy lost one of the earrings! Stacy did not realize until later, and she panicked! Kevin helped her search and search, and finally they found the missing earring. She was so happy that she forgot that maybe it was a sign of things to come...that maybe she should get the clasp tightened.

Stacy and Kevin got married, and they loved life together. Kevin was a fantastic husband, and Stacy still wore her beautiful hoop earrings every single day. It was much like breathing-a habit-to put them on in the morning. She loved that she never had to think about what she wanted to wear for jewelry...it was always easy. Wearing the earrings always reminded her of Kevin, as well, and his thoughtfulness and love for her.

About three years after Stacy received the earrings, she went on a trip to Illinois to visit her sister. Of course, the earrings came with her...she was never without them. One evening, Stacy was sitting in the church with her sister, for her sister's husband was a youth pastor. Stacy and Adrienne were just sitting there talking, when suddenly, Stacy put her hand up to her ear to brush away her hair. She noticed her earring was gone...again! The panic set in again. They searched and searched. They searched the church, the car, Adrienne's entire house. They looked in couch cushions, chair cushions, even the toilet! Nothing! The little earring seemed gone. Every day that she was there Stacy and her little nephew, Nason, searched for that earring. Finally the day came that she had to leave, and she felt sadness. She was sad to leave her sister of course, but also sad, because she had lost something precious to her. Her first real gift from Kevin. Stacy tucked the remaining earring safely in her things, and made her way home.

Once she got home, she thought about throwing the other earring out. What was she to do with a single earring? She just couldn't do it, though, the earring had sentimental value. So, for some strange reason, she put the earring on Kevin's nightstand, and there it lay. It was a lonely little earring. It sat all by itself. Sometimes a pack of gum made its way onto the nightstand from Kevin's pocket, and the alarm clock was always there, but no other earring. The sad, lonely little earring stayed where it was, for three more years.

There were many times that Stacy would pause, look at that earring, and think about throwing it out, yet she could not. Sometimes she would pick it up, and then put it down, remembering that it didn't matter if she didn't have the earring, she had Kevin! Kevin even bought her new earrings to replace the ones she no longer had, but there was still sadness that she had lost that little earring.

Then, one day not so long ago, Stacy arrived home from work. She went to the mailbox, like always, and there was a little package from her sister. "That's strange," thought Stacy, "I wonder what Adrienne could be sending me!" It wasn't Stacy's birthday, there was nothing she could think of that she needed. She got inside and opened the package. Inside was a little note from her sister, and a black, satiny bag. The note said, "James and I saw this and totally thought it was your style! We hope that you like it!" Stacy thought that was strange, but opened up the little bag anyway. Inside was a plastic bag, she pulled it out and THERE WAS THE LITTLE LOST EARRING!!!

Three years later, the little earring had been found! A spring had broken in her sister's couch, and they had to open it up and reattach it. The first thing to fall out was Stacy's little lost earring. "Do you think she threw the other one out?" Adrienne asked her husband. "I don't know, but we have to send it anyway!" James replied. So, they did. They sent that little earring all the way from Illinois to Canada. It must have traveled in trucks and planes and over thousands of miles and now, there it was, back in Stacy's hand. Stacy laughed when her sister told her the story. She remembered tipping the couch upside down with James, knowing that the little earring was in there, but never finding it. Now, three years later, there it was.

Stacy ran back to the bedroom and grabbed the other earring from Kevin's night stand. There they were, together again! Stacy was so happy. She put on the little earrings, and then waited for Kevin to get home and told him the wonderful story.

The next morning in her devotions with her students, Stacy read about things that were lost and found: the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. Then she talked about the thing she had lost and found and how joyful she was! Then the students and she discussed how God feels when someone that is lost comes to know Him, and is found, and they all thought of how happy He must really be! Then, Stacy showed her students the earrings, which she just happened to be wearing that very day!