Running Away

When I was five years old, I ran away from home.  I’m sure my feelings were very hurt and I felt very wounded.  About what?  Who knows…  I was a sensitive child.  I packed a little bag with clothes.  I do not even think I packed food, toys, or a toothbrush, but in a rash moment of heightened emotions, I left—teary-eyed and heartbroken.   

I made it down the driveway…notably, it did happen to be a very long driveway…and just around the corner to the next house when I became decidedly unsure.  I left quickly and returned just as quickly.  I suppose it struck me that I hadn’t really thought it through.  Of course by the end of the day, all was good again in my little world. 

In Isaiah 30:15,16, God talks to His people through the prophet Isaiah about their tendency to run away, and says to the rebellious nation:  “’In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’  But you would not, and you said, ‘No, for we will flee on horses’—therefore you shall flee!  And, ‘We will ride on swift horses’—therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!” 

Once in a while, we find that we have strayed, that we have, in essence, run away from the Lord.  Perhaps the issue that has drawn us away is obvious to us and those around us, but perhaps the issue is something that we wrestle with quietly.  And in the midst of our rebellion—in the midst of us running from the conviction of the Holy Spirit—we run swiftly instead of slowing down, stopping, and repenting…then resting in the Lord and in His grace and forgiveness.   

Even though we tend to avoid the discomfort of true repentance, God’s love is so abundant and all-consuming.  Listen here to God’s heart-melting response to rebellion…, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you…” vs 18a.  God actually waits for us to turn our hearts toward Him in whatever issue it is that keeps us running.  His never-ending love and patience is waiting for us. 

Today, instead of burying our issues under busyness, laziness, avoidance, or fear, let’s run quickly to the Lord with whatever it is His Spirit has convicted us with.  If we are so numb that we have ceased to recall what those issues are, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to remind us so that we may have a clean and pure heart before the Lord.