The way back is easier than you think
Going home is easier than you think. But when I needed to know that: I didn’t. After my husband’s addiction had taken its toll on my life and marriage, and I had ‘thrown in the towel’, I found myself in a dark, dark place. Here’s the thing: while my husband was on his journey, I was on my own journey. I couldn’t ‘fix’ him, so I decided to fall apart. Stopped walking with God (but in all honesty I had stopped walking with God a long time earlier), started leaning on my own ‘wisdom’. This led me to a place of loneliness that I had never known before. So, one day when I had a thought that was so unlikely, I didn’t know where it came from. But I do now! It was a whisper from the Holy Spirit, and this was the thought: ‘if I’m ever going to be happy, it’s going to have to be with God.’ I didn’t even know what that thought meant, but I remember that moment, and it’s the moment that caused me to open my Bible. That’s where all the answers are!
In my last post I talked about going home. But not everyone wants to go home. Not everyone had a good home to go home to. So maybe you will have to imagine something with me, but it will be worth it! What if we look at it this way: the things I was trying to do to make myself happy aren’t working. Oh, maybe they work for a while, even years, but eventually they will disappoint you. You will find out that the things you were putting your hope in were broken things. And we have an Enemy who does whatever he can to keep us from finding the truth that God is telling us. So even if your home right now is not a happy place, your home with God will be! Go and find out for yourself.
So, this is what I read in Jeremiah, right after I wrote the last post about going home. “O Israel,” says the Lord, “if you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray no more. Then, when you swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, you could do so with truth, justice and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.” (Jeremiah 4:1,2)
And this: ‘O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God and committed adultery against him by worshipping idols under every green tree. Confess that you have refused to listen to my voice. I, the Lord, have spoken.’ (Jeremiah 3:12,13)
Here's what I noticed:
-the way back is easy. Do you want to know the lie I was believing when I was trapped in my sin and couldn’t get free? The enemy told me that it was too late for me. He told me that I should have known better, and therefore God wouldn’t forgive me. And I believed that until I opened my Bible and started reading. The more I read, the more I believed God. I started to believe that He was waiting to forgive me! I started to believe that He is good and has good plans for me because He said so! And these are the steps home:
-acknowledge your guilt. I used to say things like: ‘it’s not that bad.’ ‘I’m not hurting anyone.’ ‘No one needs to know.’ If these are the thoughts in your mind, it’s time to change your thinking. That’s the thinking that enslaves you and keeps you from discovering God’s kindness to you. It’s called ‘DECEIT’. Maybe you’re not ‘doing anything wrong’ but harboring thoughts or pleasures that go against what God tells us in His word will keep us from living a Holy Spirit filled life full of joy and purpose. Be honest with God: He already knows what’s in your heart. Only then will you find the freedom you are looking for.
-admit that you rebelled. Anytime we are living to please ourselves and ease our pain in our own way, we are living in rebellion against God. His ways really are good, and you will find joy when you admit that God was right, and you were wrong. You also need to turn around and go the other way. Are you unsure of what His ways are? I thought I knew, but I never saw God’s heart until I started reading His word and saw how loved I am and what He had to do to free me from judgment for my sin. Turn your back on the lies in your life and find joy.
-confess that you refused to listen. When I first walked away from God, I believed the lie that He had let me down. But He didn’t! I blamed Him for the pain in my life that He didn’t cause. Deep down, I knew I was believing lies about God, but I went on anyway. I refused to listen to the gentle voice in my head, and instead went my own way. But one day He broke through and I came to my senses I will be forever grateful for that day.
-return home. That’s it! It’s so simple. Just get rid of your pride, ask God to help you, and He will. Ask Him to give you a desire for Him like you never had before, and He will! Get rid of things that cause you to stumble. He will show you what they are and start getting to know Him. And here’s what He showed me, and He will show you too: He has good plans for us! They are better than anything we can imagine in our wildest imaginations. AND: we can always go home, no matter what we have done. And one last thought: if you fall again, don’t give up! Repent again and return home again. You will be welcomed back. He said so.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days, when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you”, says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Jeremiah 29:11,12.
And that’s God’s heart. He longs for us to get to know Him and let Him satisfy us. His plans are good: don’t wait until the end of your life and say, ‘Oh, how I wish I would have listened to Him!’ Go home now: He is merciful to those who are humble. The way back is easy.
