Lost and Found

In 2008 I went to Israel during Passover Week. While in Jerusalem I went to the Western Wall, "Kotel" in Hebrew. There I placed my hands on the 2,000 year old stone wall and prayed for peace. The power and the presence of the Divine I felt in those few minutes was so overwhelming that I fell to my knees and wept--not for sadness but for joy and wonder.

It was a wonderful experience traveling to all the holy sites, stepping into the Jordan River and the Dead Sea (the lowest point on Earth), walking along the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea and taking a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, riding from Mount Hermon near the Lebanese border to Beersheva in the southern Negev desert. One day I ascended the mountain of Masada where King Herod had his palace fortress. Standing on that mountaintop and looking out over the Dead Sea, my guide explained that a date palm seed had been found buried under the sandy soil of Masada during an archaeology dig by Hebrew University. Dead for 2,000 years, it was taken to the university professors who watered and put it in good soil in their science lab. With proper conditions and loving care the seed grew into a beautiful date palm tree.

As amazing as it sounds, the story of the seed caused me to reflect on my own life. I remembered a time when I selfishly went my own way, inconsiderate of my family and friends. During that time I lost almost everything. I left God, God didn't leave me. When I came to my senses and returned home, like the story of the Prodigal Son, my (Heavenly) Father welcomed me back with open arms. In the words of the Bible (Luke 15:24) the father said  "this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." 


*See all of Gene Allen Groner books, bio, and blogs at www.amazon.com/-/e/B077YTVSJZ