Living lost means going from one urgent moment to the next without a purpose other than to get through that moment. It is the aimless complacency of making it through the day, just to start all over again the next with no real direction. Along the way, any relationships built tend to be shallow and unfulfilling as you work hard to hide how lost you are living. You simultaneously work to both impress others and to keep them “out of your business.” You put up walls to hide, to self-protect, to paint a pretty façade upon, and the people around you don’t really know you. They can’t “know” what they have never been allowed to authentically see, which implies living lost means isolation and loneliness as well. It means going from moment to moment trying to manage the chaos enough that you don’t drown. Little of real value is pursued or accomplished. Just plugging along your fairly aimless, settled path.
At the end of the day, what kind of life have you settled for?
When we live lost, we settle for a lesser life, a part far too small. And we are subject to the frustration that results in drinking too much, eating too much, sleeping too much, working too much, complaining too much and judging others far too much. But once we get our bearings, become oriented, then we are able to do what we were created to do… love. Be loved by God, love God back and help others experience the same.
Search and Rescue by Michael Thompson
Living found implies being known, recognized, treasured, and where you’re supposed to be. Living found looks like walking in authenticity and integrity—being real and really being who you present. Living found is steadfastly knowing who you are and where you’re going without constantly looking for the people around you to feed you that information. And yet, you cannot live life fully found without being “seen” by the people around you. Your deepest sorrows and longings, anxieties and pleasures, stumbling blocks, and goals are connected to others and reflected by others. For healing, breaking down the walls of your heart, becoming authentic and known, you have to involve exposure to people in the process. You must know that you are not alone.
What might it be, To come out of hiding, To stand straight, Take a curious look around, And live found and free?
-Me
To live found, you must take a hard look at how the people around you have powered-over and dominated your sense of self, purpose and direction, and how you’ve let them, for whatever reason. You will need to find your voice again, and speak the things you have not been allowed to say, to share from your heart the hopes, dreams, and experiences you have not been allowed to feel. The impact of emotional abuse – the trauma of your personhood being consistently dominated by another created human being – will need to be looked square in the face, and confronted with the healing truth that God gives no one else the authority to decide who you are. Your identity, value, and worth can be conceptualized in a whole new way when you take the time to look for healing and to “find yourself” again. This is what living found means.
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