A couple of years ago, two friends from northern Minnesota came down to hang out with us for the weekend. Unbeknowst to me, Deb left her denim jaket hanging in our back closet.
Several weeks after their visit, I was cleaning closets to get ready for the next season. I discovered a denim jacket. I asked every family member if they, or one of their friends, had left a denim jacket at our house. No one claimed it.
I wracked my brain trying to think who’s jacket it could be. Deb never even entered my mind. I decided to put it in with some other clothes marked for a thrift store, and delivered the box of clothes that day.
A few days later, we received a call from Deb and Gary. During the conversation Gary had with my husband, Gary happened to mention that Deb was still a bummed out that she had lost her favorite denim jacket.
“Deb lost her favorite denim jacket?” Burt echoed.
I waved my arms frantically, shaking my head. Deb left her jacket here, and I took to a thrift store? Although it was not malicious on my part, I couldn’t tell her the jacket was lost – probaby never to be found.
But Burt had a different idea. “I think Rita wants to talk to Deb,” he said, handing me the phone. Deb and I exchanged pleasantries, and then I confessed, “Deb, I found your jacket, but I didn’t know it was yours, and I took it to a thrift store last week.”
I heard the disappointment in her voice. “O, that’s okay. At least I know what happened to my jacket,” she said, softly.
The following day, I drove to the thrift store. I scanned the racks and racks of clothes. Nothing! A saleslady came over and asked if I was looking for anything in particular. “Well, yes, I’m looking for a denim jacket.” She directed me to where the jackets hung in the far corner of the store. As I paged through the jackets, there it was!!! In fact, there were two denim jackets – each about the same size as Deb.
I took a picture of each jacket and promptly called Deb. Yup! One of the jackets was hers! We both were so excited! What are the odds? I purchased it and took my treasure home.
Sometimes ordinary can be a prelude to the extraordinary. I looked for a jacket and found it. That’s ordinary. Jesus sought sinners and found me. That’s extraordinary!
I had to go to a store – ordinary. Jesus had to go to the cross – extraordinary! What I purchased is not only ordinary, but temporary. What Jesus purchased is not only extraordinary, but everlasting! I paid a few dollars – ordinary. Jesus paid with His life – extraordinary!
The Bible says, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 29:10)
An ordinary situation – a lost jacket, found and redeemed can reflect an extraordinary Biblical truth – a lost sinner, found and redeemed. I can attest to this truth. I was lost but now am found. I was blind, but now I see.