Of the many things Jesus said that challenge human logic still today, perhaps the most confounding is this: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39).

To die is to live. To lose is to find. Baffling though it may be to human wisdom—especially in a world that says we should optimize our lives for personal comfort, wellness, and fulfillment—the countercultural wisdom of Christ nevertheless holds the key to true joy. Generations of lost souls have looked for redemption in their own power or in the logic of the world, finding it ultimately impotent to resolve their angst. Only the bizarre, “lost and found” logic of Jesus provides answers that satisfy.

Collin Hansen shares his own “lost and found” story in the article below—one of 12 testimonies featured in the new book Lost and Found: How Jesus Helped Us Discover Our True Selves. It’s a good reminder of the power of testimony: Sometimes the seeming illogic of the gospel becomes beautifully logical when we see it play out in changed lives.