The Painting That Stopped Me Cold

A few weeks ago, my wife decided it was time to decorate our dining room. We kept it simple, nothing too fancy. If you know us, we love to keep things low key.

But one piece caught her eye: a painting of Jesus walking with a single sheep through a mountain landscape, nothing else around them. Just the Shepherd and the one.

I hung it up, stepped back to make sure it was level, and that’s when it hit me. A rush of memory. A flood of feeling.

Suddenly I wasn’t standing in my living room anymore — I was back in a church pew, a few months into actually giving this whole Christianity thing a real chance.

The worship team was playing Israel Houghton’s “Reckless Love.” And for the first time, the words truly landed:

“He leaves the 99 for the 1.”

The Math Doesn’t Make Sense — and That’s the Point

I’ll be honest with you — I’m a logical thinker. I look at problems analytically. And the first time I really sat with that idea, part of my brain pushed back.

Why would you leave 99 safe sheep to go after one that wandered off? From a business standpoint, every company has losses. You calculate the risk, take the write-off, and move on. It’s just math.

But here’s the thing about God — He doesn’t do write-offs.

• You will never be a loss He’s willing to absorb.

• You will never be too far gone for Him to come after you.

• You are not a liability on His ledger.

You are His child.

None of Us Are Saints — and That’s Okay

Let me be real with you. None of us are saints. I’m a living example of that. There were seasons of my life where I didn’t feel worthy of grace. Seasons where, if I’m honest, I probably wasn’t even looking for it.

But God gave it to me anyway.

Here’s what I’ve come to understand: you are not a possession to be discarded. You are a creation to be cherished. God’s love doesn’t run out. It doesn’t have conditions buried in the fine print. And it never expires.

He won’t force Himself on you. He’s not going to drag you to Him against your will. But He will meet you — wherever you are, whatever state you’re in, however far you think you’ve gone.

The Story of the Son Who Came Home

There’s a parable Jesus told that I keep coming back to. You may have heard it — the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32).

A young man demands his inheritance early (which in those times was considered extremely disrespectful), takes off, and burns through every penny chasing the world. He ends up so broke that he quite literally was longing to eat what the pigs ate — so low that he’s sleeping in filth with no food and no future.

In that rock-bottom moment, he realized even his father’s servants had more than enough bread to eat. So he finally decides to go home.I can only imagine him rehearsing his apology the whole walk back. Preparing to beg for a servant’s position — because he knows he blew his right to be called a son.

But his father sees him coming from a distance. And he runs.

Not a slow walk. Not a cold stare. A full sprint. He throws his arms around him, calls for the finest robe, puts a ring on his finger, and throws a party. Not because the son earned it — but because he came home.

That’s what God does every single time we turn back to Him.

“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”— Luke 15:7 (ESV)

Wherever You Are — He’s Already Running

I don’t know where you are today as you read this.

• Maybe you’ve been walking with God for decades.

• Maybe you left the church years ago and aren’t sure you’d even be welcomed back.

• Maybe you’ve never stepped foot inside a sanctuary in your life.

Wherever you are — just know this:The heavens rejoice when you come back to God. You are the one He left the 99 for. You are worth the search.

If this message resonated with you, we dive even deeper into topics just like this on the Faith Unfiltered Life Podcast. Tune in as we share unfiltered conversations about faith, grace, and what it really looks like to follow the Shepherd. Click the link to listen to our latest episodes!