Wednesday, October 14, 2026

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it?” (Luke 15:8, New Living Translation)

                 Yesterday, I finished a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It has been the hardest puzzle I have ever done and I have done dozens upon dozens. I began it back in May, working on it a couple of hours every day except weekends. (Well, you know, there are sports on the weekends.) What made it so very hard was twofold. One, it is was circular and there was no uniformity to the shapes or sizes of the pieces. In fact, it didn’t fit my table and I had to rig up some bristle board to give me the extra space I needed. Secondly, it was a kaleidoscopic mural of similar colours and images which gave few clues as to what fitted where. The back of the puzzle featured various geometric shapes which I used to verify that the pieces went together. My occupational therapist said that he wanted me to send him a picture of it when it was done as he couldn’t believe that it was possible to do.

                As I got close to the finish, there were three pieces missing. Yes, I had 997 pieces finally in place, but the puzzle was not complete. I still felt good about what I had accomplished but if I couldn’t find those missing three pieces, it was going to be very disappointing. I was prepared to search every nook and cranny in hopes that I would find them.  To my delight, I found all three pieces together, hiding under a bag on the floor, not far from the table. That thrilled me just as about a much as having done the whole puzzle up to then. I didn’t throw a party but I did get a big hug from Susan for completing the project. Double delight!

                The parable of the woman and her lost coin reminds me of Jesus’ words. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33) There are some things in our lives, beyond the material and the quantitative, which are deeply worthy of our efforts to attain. There are worthy goals and ambitions that demand our attention and focus. We should not procrastinate. We should not give up. We should not neglect our pursuit of righteousness and faithfulness.  Like the parable’s woman, nothing is so inconsequential or so trivial that we can afford to just let it go. Jesus calls us to pursue his Way with vigour and resolve.

                People may lose their faith. Some lose hope. Others lose trust in others. Some lose their self-esteem. Others lose relationships or friendships. Some may lose health and security.  But no matter the losses which we experience, through them all, we must intentionally seek the goodness of God’s Love for us. “Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.” (Psalm 105:4)

                Perhaps, the woman would have “gotten by” with the coins she had left. We don’t know the reasons for her persistence in finding just one coin.  But she understood that it mattered greatly that she finds it. We are taught through her example that it is sometimes paying attention to the little things in our lives that bring us joy and peace. It is doing the extra little thing that brings us satisfaction and happiness. Jesus talked about the need to go the extra mile in doing good. It is always a good feeling when something small adds up to helping someone in need or gives a boost to someone who is hurting. There are many ways to seek the Kingdom of God and some may seem inconsequential at first. But in God’s hands, they may reap a great harvest. But nothing will happen if we don’t try.

                Sometimes, our lives may get so cluttered and messy that we may  not even notice what we have lost. Maybe, this parable can speak to us that we need to clean up our act.  There comes a time when we need to get rid of the dust-bunnies hiding under our psyches and consciences.  It may be time to do a little spiritual, moral house-cleaning, getting rid of the things that don’t matter or break our spirits or lead astray. Perhaps, there is no better time than the present to get our lives back in order, back to God, back to the Kingdom Way. “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)

                There is no time like the present to go looking for that lost “coin.”

 Prayer:

Our Lord and Good Shepherd, you are never weary in seeking us to include us in your Kingdom’s plans. You never give up on us, no matter how far we have strayed. We ask that you Spirit inspire us to be equally diligent and thorough in seeking the Jesus Way of life and faith.  May we never cease loving you nor neglect the compassion and goodness of our Christian calling.  We seek Jesus in all we say, think or do. In Jesus’ name, amen.