Beth Jones, International Speaker, Author, & Coach

On January 3 of this new year 2022, I lost my wedding ring.  I was doing laundry downstairs and hanging a pair of wet white jeans over the drying wrack, when suddenly I heard a small clanging noise.

I looked down at the floor (in our basement, so it’s concrete on that side of the house) but didn’t see anything, so I continued doing the laundry, because, ya know, endless laundry is just what wives and moms do. 

Later when I went for a Sonic run, I noticed as I ordered a cold drink on the app on my iPhone, that my diamond wedding ring was missing from my finger. My other two rings that I usually wear were on my fingers. I had recently lost a little weight, so I figured that my wedding ring had just fallen off somewhere!

My beautiful ring resembles the one in the image above, which I found by googling “diamond wedding rings images.” (Is “googling” an actual word? Inquiring speakers/writers want to know.)  After getting my Sonic drink, I went home and began looking everywhere  for it. All throughout the house, my car, the trash, dresser drawers, my jewelry stand, my wallet, outside our house, and in the garage.

Losing things is not uncommon for me. In fact, it happens a LOT. My bank’s ATM credit/debit card, my driver’s license, my keys, money. What happens is that I lose the very important thing, freak out, text my husband Ray, our daughters, and my sister Maria to PLEASE PRAY!!!, and desperately look everywhere for it. 

Usually I find the thing at the bottom of my purse or backpack, underneath the seat of my car, or in my coat pocket.

Then, after almost panicking, and searching like the woman who lost one of the 10 silver coins in Luke 15:8-10, I rejoice with my family and my friends that I found it! My husband Ray and my family sigh in exasperation that I lost something again, but are relieved.

It’s January 14, 2022 as of this blog post. I still have not found my wedding ring. 

I posted about it on Facebook on the day that I lost it. So far, there’s 53 comments from my family and my friends who are praying that I still find it. I really like my wedding ring, so this is not just some calculating ploy of mine to get Ray to buy me some new, expensive bling. (If I was going to “buy” anything new, it’d be a trip to Destin Beach, Florida, for at least a week!)

I believe that the natural parallels the Spirit. God is teaching me some things through this situation. The most important lesson is that God’s heart is for lost PEOPLE.

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and saw Simon and his brother Andrew, who were casting a net into the sea because they were fishermen. Jesus called them and said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The Bible says they immediately left their nets (their means of living), and followed Him. (Matthew 4:18-20, NKJV)

How many of us would respond this quickly to God’s calling? Would you just tell your boss one day, “Adios,” and immediately and permanently leave your job  to go traipsing around the world with Jesus, if He told you to follow Him (and didn’t tell you where He was going or what He was doing?!)?

Jesus then did the same thing with James and John his brother, who were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. They immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him. (Matthew 4:21-22, NKJV)

Jesus’ heart was to take these fishermen and make them “fishers of men” ~ to seek and find the lost who needed God and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God doesn’t want anyone perishing and going to Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but to spend eternity with Him, out of His great love for all His creation.

One of my favorite songs that I love and have hung onto in faith for years for prodigals in our family is by Cory Asbury called Reckless Love.  (My friend Ruth told me about it several years ago. She is holding onto it, too! So many believers are praying for their loved ones, as time is short and Jesus is coming very soon!)

This song is about how Jesus leaves the 99 sheep for the one lost lamb. You can read about this in the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:10-14. 

You can listen to Cory’s beautiful, powerful song, Reckless Love, on YouTube at the link below:

https://youtu.be/6xx0d3R2LoU

My lost wedding ring reminds me of other losses in life, too. The loss of:

• A marriage through adultery, separation, divorce, abuse, neglect, betrayal, or death;
• Other important relationships through hurt, unforgiveness, sin, moving away, or death;
• A home (foreclosure, bankruptcy, natural disaster, fire, divorce, etc.);
• Finances (job loss in the global pandemic, being fired, resignation, bankruptcy, etc.);
• Health (the virus, other diseases, injury, etc.);
• Faith in God and/or people;
• Dreams and hopes;
• ________________(You fill in the blank.)

I don’t know if I’m ever going to find my wedding ring again. I hope I do, and will continue looking and praying. I believe God is using this situation to speak to my heart about many different things.

But one thing that I know for sure is that God is pursuing you and me. He loves us fiercely and unconditionally, no matter what. He will chase you and me down to the ends of the earth, if that is what it takes to save and rescue us. He will never stop seeking the lost!

As Cory sings in his song Reckless Love, “There’s no shadow You won’t light up, mountain You won’t climb up, coming after me. There’s no wall You won’t kick down, lie You won’t tear down, coming after me.”

What losses have you experienced in your life? Don’t ever stop praying (for you or your loved ones!).

Please share in the comments below. Remember, Jesus loves you so much!

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