Lost and Found

Lena Paahlsson, of central Sweden, lost her wedding ring. Like any happily married wife, she became pretty distressed over losing it, especially since she had designed it herself and had it custom made. It was a beautiful white-gold band with seven diamond studs embedded.

She had taken the ring off in her kitchen while baking Christmas cookies, and it disappeared. All garbage was searched. The plumbing was taken apart. She and her husband spent weeks looking for it. They even redid their floors in hopes of finding it in the floorboards. But to no avail. All hope was lost.

Sixteen years later, while harvesting carrots in the garden, she saw something encircling a carrot she pulled from the ground, something glimmering. Upon closer inspection, believe it or not, it was her lost wedding ring!

Here it was, out in the garden, brought to the surface by a carrot!

Lena and Ola believe the ring had gotten mixed in with compost that was taken out to feed the pigs (the garden was now in what had been the pigs’ feeding area). The pigs went through the food but had no interest in gold and diamonds. It lay in the dirt for sixteen years until miraculously found by the original designer and owner.

You may feel a little bit like that ring. Mixed in with garbage and thrown out to pigs. Seemingly lost for good in the dirt.

But the ring didn’t stay in the dirt. Today it is cleaned, polished, and proudly displayed as a beautiful reclaimed symbol of her marriage.

God does some amazing things to rescue His treasures, and you are one of His treasures. He doesn’t want you wallowing in pigs’ compost or even relaxing in a garden, for that matter.

He wants you fulfilling the purpose He designed and created you for. He wants to display you as one of His treasured works of art.

I guess you could say that the cross is your carrot. Jesus said He came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). That means you. Trust Him with your life. He can shine you up and make you sparkle…and better yet, useful for His enjoyment and your good!