Serving the Lost Coin

“How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings and good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

As the school year has begun, our lives have started to be filled with all sorts of responsibilities. Schoolwork, commitments, and social activities fill up our plates, and our minds race with countless stresses, thoughts, and anxieties. It’s very easy to become distracted, and amongst this, we may gradually notice that our spiritual life has started to fall short. Our relationship with Christ no longer resides at the forefront of our minds, and He becomes mixed as just one of many variables occupying our thoughts. We forget to conduct ourselves in the proper manner, and we don’t even notice it! Many of us know this as lukewarmness, a state that the Church warns us to not fall into. Christ’s greatest desire is for us to return to Him, and to carry all these stressors and burdens for us. How can we remind ourselves of this? 

The parable of the Lost Coin, found in Luke 15, mentions the story of the woman that had 10 silver coins. When she lost just one, the Scripture says, “Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?” How beautiful is it to think that this is what Christ does with each of us! In His eyes, we are each His workmanship, His prized possession. We are so precious that each hair of our head is known to Him. Not a single one of us is overlooked, and every drop of His blood was shed for our sakes. He yearns for us to return, waiting patiently and diligently, just like the woman who lost her coin. 

Imagine the child who has forgotten that Someone is patiently waiting for their return. All they need is a gentle reminder—a tap on the shoulder, a kind whisper in their ear saying, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Lukewarmness can feel like quicksand, trapping us hopelessly. It’s easy to feel as though there is no way out, that every force is against us, and the current state of despair will be a forever one. Falling into despair is exactly what the devil wants. He wants our distractions to consume us to the point where the path to repentance seems so narrow and practically nonexistent. Yet, repentance is the very thing Christ earnestly yearns for. And He showed this to us, very explicitly, when He died for us. The love in His heart for all of the human race was so profound, that He wanted to give us all the chance to repent. This same love is the force that is stronger than any other.  In 1 Corinthians 13, we are given the instructions: "Love is patient, love is kind... it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud... it does not dishonor others... it rejoices with the truth... Love never fails." If we live by these words, truly live by them, and administer ourselves in this manner, how wonderful would it be that the state of lukewarmness has now been conquered! 

Now, we are familiar with the love of Christ, and it is our duty to reflect this warm feeling onto others. How can we do so? If we see a brother or sister in Christ struggling with lukewarmness, let us take this love and direct it wholeheartedly towards them. This could be done in many ways, whether directing and binding them to a father of confession, or accompanying them to church. And of course, keeping them consistently in our prayers. 

If we have truly tasted His sweetness, how could we ever stray away from it? We must remember constantly that He is always waiting for us, always searching, always wanting His children back in His embrace- All we have to do is return to Him.