Clothes Racks And Department Stores

When I was eight years old I was at the mall with my mom, my three year old sister and a family friend.

As the oldest, I have made it my life’s mission to live up to my role by terrorizing my younger siblings like any big sister would. Now, they love me… that’s all that matters right? Well, this day, my sister and I were getting along pretty well, and we began to play tag in the department store as my mom was shopping around. We were having the time of our lives hiding in between clothes racks and running away from one another! It's nostalgic just talking about it with you now.

Finally, after my mom was all checked out, she headed over to the clothes racks where my sister and I were playing. I came out, but my sister didn’t. I had no idea where she had gone! She was right there with me just a few seconds ago, but all of a sudden we could not find her. As you can imagine this is every parent’s worst nightmare. So, we’re calling out her name and there’s no answer. After a couple minutes, my mom started to panic. We eventually realized that my sister was not in the store. So we stepped outside of the store and we looked in both directions of the mall & nothing. We began to call out my sister‘s name and ask people around us if they had seen her, but she was nowhere to be found!

Then, my mom leaves me with our family friend and says, “Stay here, I’m going to find your sister.” All of the sudden, I see my mom squinting her eyes as she’s looking down this long hall of department stores, and then she takes off running at full speed. OK, let me just pause here for a second - up until this point, I had never thought track and field was my mom’s ministry but, I tell you, she was a whole track star that day!

My mom takes off running down this long stretch towards the exit doors. Listen, my mom had somehow spotted my sister hundreds of feet away, holding a man’s hand, headed outside of the mall doors. To this day, I have no idea how she spotted her at such a far distance! My mom ran up to the man holding my sister‘s hand, picked up my sister, exchanged a few words and headed back toward us. I’m not exactly sure what she said to that man, but I know that it probably wasn’t godly, you know what I’m saying?

I think back on that scary day often, and I’m so thankful that God saved my sister from being taken. When I think about that story, I think about how my mom was not going to rest until she found her daughter. And I thought to myself, “Wow, what an amazing representation of how God cares so much about us that He will never stop going after us. He loves us that much!”

The parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:4-6 says:

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”

Just like my Mom went after her one daughter that was lost, God is constantly pursuing you because He cares about you that much. Maybe you’re like me and you have made a lot of mistakes throughout your life… ones that you’re not super proud of. You see, God factored in all of the mistakes that we would make, and He still chose us. Let that sink in for a moment. You are enough. You are worthy of love from the God of the universe! So, I’m here to encourage you that you are not your mistakes. You are a child of God. And He is still coming after you! So, as you approach your week let the love, grace, and mercy of the Father cover you from head to toe, from inside out.

And know that you are enough, and that you are loved.

Som Tami

‍