Returning Home

Proverbs 276 8 :  A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.

I am reminded of a trip I took, a long, lonely trip. I saw much that I expected—snowcapped mountains, sandy deserts, lakes for sailing, old haunts, national treasures—but mostly through my car window. It was not fun. I was alone. It wasn’t long before I wished I had never gone. However, I had no choice. I was told to go.

 When I returned home, the relief was immense. Everything was familiar, brighter, and restorative to my mind and soul. Family and friends welcomed me in genuine happiness, and I felt like living again.

 I just returned from another trip, a trip to nowhere since many places were restricted. I was restricted. I was alone. It was not fun. It lasted way beyond the time I was led to believe it would last.

 Then, I returned home, the relief was immense. Everything was familiar, brighter, and restorative to my mind and soul. Family and friends welcomed me in genuine happiness, and I felt like living again. Many felt the same way … because they had returned from the same trip where they were alone, restricted, and wearing a mask.

 During that trip I could watch the weekly church service through a computer screen, try to sing without hearing others nearby, not dressing up, and slowly approaching depression. I began to feel as though God were on the other side of the screen. Yes. I know. I know!

 There is a feeling that lifts your spirit when you are with family and friends, together in worship. “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." (Matt 18:20)

 I you are feeling the way I did, try attending an in person worship service. I know that for some people that is not possible. If that is true for you, I pray that you experience God’s peace and joy as you worship Him where you are, knowing He is with you. And as Oswald Chambers, a famous evangelist and teacher said, “A private relationship of worshiping God is the greatest essential element of spiritual fitness.”