Ruth, the sweet wife of our stake president, spoke in our ward yesterday. She told of a recent experience where her husband took their dog Steve for a walk, and a few minutes later he came back and said he'd lost Steve. Something had spooked Steve, he'd gotten away (I can't remember the exact details), and Steve had tried to chase him and then came home to get the truck to search for him. Ruth quickly texted a couple of neighbors and put an announcement on Facebook as they hopped in the car to search. A few minutes later their door camera chimed and a neighbor was at their door with Steve while they were still driving around. Steve had been found. Ruth compared this to our brothers and sisters who are lost. Our Heavenly Parents long for them to be found. We should long for that as well. Our Lord loves lost things as evidenced by the parables of the lost coin, lost sheep and prodigal son.
Then Ruth told of an expert on counterfeit bills. He is one of the best in the nation at recognizing counterfeit bills. Once a reporter said he must spend a lot of time studying counterfeit bills. He replied that he never studies counterfeit bills. He spends countless hours studying the real bills so that he can recognize any subtle difference between the real bill and a fake. We, too, should come to know the real thing (the gospel of Jesus Christ) so thoroughly that we an recognize when a counterfeit idea or concept is placed before us.
LESSONS LEARNED:
*Knowing the REAL or true thing can help us avoid counterfeits or deceptions.
*The Lord loves lost things.
*Losing someone brings loss, panic, worry, sorry...but finding them or helping them find God brings peace, joy, increased faith and trust.
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