A blog post by John Potts
Image Credit: Path by pkdon50 on Flickr
“Get lost,” were the words that my cousin, Ray, would say. I was staying with him and his family. He was a teenager and I was a little kid. The words first hurt. Rejection by someone who you really look up can hurt.
But in the moment, I move on and took permission by his words to explore. To get lost.
So I would start to look around his house for things to do, to see and to discover.
It was never dull to be at Ray’s house. He had five brothers and sisters. People were coming and going. Conversations were happening all over the house. Those conversations were full of life, and I learned so much.
I gained understanding about a war that was taking place in Vietnam. I heard the fear in my cousin’s voice as she talked about the dangers of war. I gained understanding concerning the civil rights movement that was happening. I learned about the frustration of whites and their fears of what would happen if people of color had equal rights.
Oh my gosh, I thought, the cheerleaders are now in the basement practicing. As the little cousin, I could move around this house. I had permission to get lost. I could join in and be an active or passive participant.
I would have never heard those conversations if I had not been told to “get lost.”
The holidays are last season that I would ever want anyone to hear the words, “get lost.” The hurt and rejection is real already for so many. Yet, I want to look at the permission that those words can give to us. The permission to get lost in a moment. A conversation. A book. A drive in the car. A visit to a museum. An opportunity to write a note. A time to listen to tunes that you love to listen to at this time of year.
Oh yes, please take a moment to hear the words of permission to get lost. I know that we do not have time to get lost. We are all busy with a journey in mind, but please take a moment to get lost and see what you can get lost in.
We might hear the laughter of children. The voices of joy and happiness with those that we are with. If we get lost, we might find a guide who can direct us to place that we would never find on our own. We might meet saints that we have never connected with before.
Oh how beautiful to get lost in the moment and to see and to explore and to reconnect with the adventure and life that we were all created by the One that loved us. “Don’t worry,” we are told. My peace is perfect. I am the way and I have made a path for you. I so love you. We don’t have to worry as we go down this road of getting lost. We actually might get found as we go. We might reconnect with our self that has gotten lost in the business of the “have-to” or the “gotta-get-this-done” moment.
Please do get lost during this holiday season. Step out and get lost. You might get found. The One that this season is about is so much about finding the lost. He is so much in love with you, and he wants to make your path straight. Trust that he will be there when you decide to get lost.
