I never imagined I’d be the person tearing apart my bedroom in a frantic search for something so small yet profoundly significant. But this week, I lost my precious engagement ring—a delicate band of white gold, crowned with a diamond that sparkled like a promise in the light. One moment, it sat safely on my nightstand as I drifted off to sleep; the next morning, it was gone.
Panic set in. I combed through every inch of my room, checked beneath furniture, and retraced my steps, but the ring was nowhere to be found. My mind raced with possibilities—had it fallen into some impossible crevice? Was it lost forever?
For the next five hours, I searched relentlessly, my heart sinking with each failed attempt. I could have given a seasoned detective a run for their money, but no matter how hard I looked, the ring remained elusive. With tears streaming down my face, I had to face the devastating reality: my engagement ring was missing.
Summoning every ounce of courage, I called my fiancé, Steve Baker. I braced myself for disappointment, maybe even frustration—after all, he had carefully chosen that ring as a symbol of our love. But his response stunned me. He didn’t react with anger or frustration. Instead, he gently reminded me, “The ring is just carbon and gold. What matters is the love it represents.” His words were like a balm to my heart.
Still, I couldn’t shake the sorrow of losing something so dear. So, I reached out to one of my best friends, Rochelle Shaffer, and asked her to pray with me. Without hesitation, she agreed and pointed me to Luke 15:8-10—the parable of the lost coin. In the story, a woman loses one of her ten silver coins and searches diligently until she finds it. When she does, she calls her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.” The parable ends with a powerful truth: “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
That verse resonated deeply with me. It reminded me of something bigger than my lost ring—it reminded me of God’s relentless love for each of us. Just as I desperately searched for my engagement ring, God relentlessly pursues us when we are lost.
That same love is what fuels my passion for church planting in Denton County. Our county is growing at a staggering 3.63% per year, with nearly 8,000 new residents last year alone, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle. Many of these new neighbors may feel lost, searching for something greater, just as I was searching for my ring. That’s why I’m so grateful for leaders like Morgan Malone, who shares my heart for reaching people. Morgan loves the engagement ring Steve picked out for me and always enjoys catching up on our wedding plans, but more than that, he has a genuine passion for our mission.
One of my favorite verses, John 3:16, reminds me that God’s love isn’t reserved for a select few—it’s for every person, every sinner, and every searching heart. That realization redefines the way I see the world. It pushes me to extend that same boundless love to others and ignites my passion for church planting.
So, if you feel a calling to plant a church or support church planting efforts, I encourage you to reach out to Morgan Malone at [email protected] or Micah Caswell, DBA’s Church Planting Catalyst, at [email protected].
And as for my engagement ring? I found it the next day—tucked under my bed, thanks to my mischievous puppy, Miguel. And just like in the parable of the lost coin, I truly rejoiced when I recovered something so valuable. But even more than that, this experience reminded me that the greatest treasure of all is God’s love—a love that never stops searching for us, no matter how lost we may feel.