09Jan17

Hosea 12:6
"Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually."

When I was starting college I made the decision to stay in Alaska while may family moved South to CA. I wanted to do things my way and on my own but, I eventually (through some pretty rough lessons) decided I needed to return home and start over again. So, I moved to Benicia, CA and started some community college classes there as well. Then my parents moved again and I stayed to finish out my semester alone in CA. I returned to my family again in Puyallup, WA and then they moved off to Springfield, IL. I don't think I was getting some kind of hint here but, I just kept returning. Every time I struck out on my own and then had to return to my family system, to my father's rules, there was a period of adjustment. I knew what was right but, I was so used to doing things my own way. The same is true of returning to anything: work, school, job, family. There is a period of adjustment. But, if you think they need to adjust to you and not visa versa then there is a problem. When you return, remember what you are returning to. The standards have not changed, although you may have. God welcomes you back every time you return, just like my family did, but He may need to send you through a period of adjustment. Don't think for a second He is going to conform to your rules. Return to God and do what He asks in order to be a part of His family, then you will be home. How are you adjusting to the "returns" in your life? Is it time for a return for you?