What We’ve Lost
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
One of the first keys to getting unstuck is believing what’s been lost can be found again. This is one of the main things Jesus is passionate about. Consider his parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and especially the lost son (all in Luke 15). It’s important we don’t put limits on how he will help us restore what’s been lost, stolen, or neglected.
I was reminded of this in a simple way—courtesy of my two sheepdogs. I take them on a mile-long walk every day. They’re big dogs—around ninety pounds each. So our treks are always filled with joy and adventure. After a recent walk, I noticed a part of one of my dog’s collars had fallen off. It’s a small but important piece that keeps the collar secure. And it could have dropped off anywhere along a mile of grass, dirt, and rock.
Granted, having to buy a collar is a relatively small inconvenience. But I could feel myself internally going to old, stuck places of self-condemnation (How could I have let that happen?), control (I will find it in my own strength), and scarcity (a sense of loss). To counter that, I tried a different approach this time. God, I know this missing piece isn’t lost to you. I trust you to get me out of this stuck place in whatever way you choose. Then I let it go. During our walk the next day, I didn’t try to make anything happen. I chose to believe he was going to restore what was lost. But as we neared home, I could sense the pull of my stuck places. Just as I was tempted to say, God, I haven’t seen anything yet, he drew my eye to the ground. Nestled between hundreds of multi-colored rocks was the dime-sized collar attachment. The human odds of this had to be a billion to one. As I knelt to pick it up, I sensed God smile and say, within my spirit, You haven’t seen anything yet!
I’m painfully aware God’s answers don’t always come that fast. Especially when we’re stuck and nothing is coming together. But with God, we haven’t seen anything yet. He is working. What’s lost can be found.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (Ephesians 3:20 MSG)
It was in this small thing that God revealed his desire to go after my bigger glitches.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
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