Lost.

I went with Brigham to his middle school orientation this morning.
(There was a note sent home, so I assumed all parents were invited to go.)
I was 1 of 3 parents from our entire 4th grade class.
I was embarrassed for about a minute.
Then, I was SO glad I went.
Word on the street is that communication is lacking between the school and the parents.
I needed to take some initiative.
I did NOT want to be an ignorant parent.

Talk about the buzz of nervous energy.
My heart went out to those little kids.
In my mind they are, still, very little.
I can remember the night before my first day of middle school.
I slept on my parents' floor, I was so nervous.
And that was 7th grade!
These little guys are going into 5th grade.

Growing up is hard.  I was so afraid to grow up.
I wanted the freedom.
I didn't want the responsibility.
You can't have it both ways.
"With freedom comes responsibility."
That's what the school counselor taught the kids today.

This counselor was a wise woman.
She taught ME something, too.
Obviously, the majority of the kids were afraid of one thing in particular:
Getting lost.
The school is much bigger than their elementary school.

She said, "You know what kids, I think you're all a little confused about what it means to be lost.  Being lost means that nobody can find you.  I promise you this: no child has EVER been lost at this school.  Confused?  Yes.  Lost?  Never.  There is always someone to help you find where you need to go."

Sure, the kids offered a collective sigh of relief.  But boy, that got me thinking.

No one is ever truly lost.  God knows where we are.  Always.  Sometimes we feel lost because of our choices.  Sometimes we feel lost because we think no one understands us.  But, we aren't lost to God.  Confused?  Yes.  I'm sure we've all felt that before.  But we are never hopeless enough to be lost.

Isn't that comforting?  I am never completely alone.  You are never completely alone.  Even if we feel that way, we're not.  "There is always someone to help you find where you need to go."  Sometimes it comes straight from God, sometimes it comes from people, strangers, even, who lift us up, brush us off, and send us on our way.

I know I've been on the receiving end of such kindness.  And I am so grateful.

I guess these little 4th graders weren't the only ones offering a sigh of relief.  In a way, I was, too.