Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers?
23 July 2025
Have you ever lost anything? 
Yesterday, I spotted a hat on a pole. Apparently, while riding a bike or golf cart, a lady’s beautiful summertime hat had inadvertently fallen to the ground. A Good Samaritan, rather than taking the lovely chapeau home for themselves, expended some energy to help. By posting the hat on the highest pole they could find near the golf cart path, they hoped the lost might be found.
Who knows? Maybe the owner has ten more hats just like that one and wouldn’t miss it at all. But maybe that hat had just been given as a gift—or passed down from a loved one—and was a treasured remembrance of family.
As a kid, how many times did you hear the phrase, “Finders keepers, losers weepers”?
It’s true that when we lose something, there is the potential for sadness—especially if our neighbors don’t help, but instead are quick to abscond with what we’ve accidentally left behind.
Recently, a young adult I know took out some extra cash while checking out at the supermarket. Although they realized their mistake as they were starting their car, by the time they returned to the checkout lane, the envelope of money was gone. Store security cameras showed two people taking the envelope and leaving the store.
It’s a sinking feeling to accidentally leave something valuable behind. But maybe more painful is realizing how often neighbors fail to help one another.
I still remember how upset I was as a little kid when my orange bicycle—with a blue banana seat—disappeared from our garage one day.
Conversely, I remember the joy I felt at a national park. After an all-day hike, I was exhausted and accidentally left my pouch with my camera in a restroom. It wasn’t until we returned to our tent that I noticed my big mistake. I debated whether it was even worth the drive back to the visitor center. Still, I decided to check.
My heart soared when the park ranger went into the back office’s Lost and Found and returned with all of my gear. Equal to the joy of the retrieval was the immense gratitude I felt for the Good Samaritan who did the right thing, taking the time to help a neighbor they did not know.
The Seventh Commandment tells us, “You shall not steal.”
But listen to Martin Luther’s explanation of the Lord’s wish:
“We should fear and love God, and so we should not rob our neighbor of his money or property, nor bring them into our possession by dishonest trade or by dealing in shoddy wares, but help him to improve and protect his income and property.”
It’s not just about not stealing. It’s about building a community where we protect each other’s belongings, livelihoods, and dignity. It’s about lifting hats back onto poles. It’s about neighborly love that reflects the heart of God.
If you’ve got your own story—about something lost, found, or a small act of kindness—I’d love to hear it. In the meantime, let’s keep doing our part. Some might call it “good karma.” As Christians, we simply call it living out Jesus’ call: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Even when it comes to misplaced hats.
In Christ’s hope,
Pastor Fritz