i've been thinking about these three stories.
sharing a similar theme, they recount finding something that was lost.
in one a sheep, another a coin, and the last, a son. basically, the owner leaves behind their life for a bit and goes looking. eventually, they find it.
well.
i was thinking about how losing something is very different from losing someone.
i feel it's less of "i had a hundred sheep, and i lost one. only 1% of my flock, but whatever."
maybe that sheep was my favorite. maybe i named it. maybe it was cute. or quirky. or smart.
you could get a new sheep, but it would be a different sheep.
living things are different than objects. obviously :)
there's a way how we get so attached. call it affection, passion, bonding, or soul mates--i'm not sure what the best word is, but you know what i'm talking about.
i feel humans are made to love. it's our purpose. so naturally, we pour love into others, and that love changes living beings. when i give love, part of me is given to someone else. aka: attachment.
thinking about that way really shifted my view of these stories (parables).
say i am devastated and grieving over a pet or a loved one. i wonder: how much more pain does God feel when He loses one of us--His children?
there might be billions of children, but He is an endless God. no one could possibly care for that amount of souls, but i believe He can.
He has the capacity to love each of His children with a deep, personal, and intimate love. and it's not just for certain children.
that thought reminds me of a line in a meditation i really like: "there is an infinite supply of love." i believe His love is infinite. He is all-powerful and loves us each so deeply.
if He loses one child, that child isn't a stat, a figurine, or a machine.
no, that child is irreplaceable.
an irreplaceable soul.
and great is the worth of souls in the sight of God. (d&c 18:10)
so when one of us is lost, i wonder if it's like He loses a part of Himself.
& that's just one side of it--imagine the joy of finding that lost child.
i can only begin to picture the immense
euphoria. ☺
...
those thoughts feel incomplete: there's so much more i could expand on, but i just felt like i needed to share that. whatever your faith or beliefs, i hope this resonates.
maybe impacting how you view yourself, the worth of every single person you ever see, and God's love.
{these are just my personal thoughts. please don't feel like you have to agree with any of them.}
xo, kate
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