Just leave

When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father...” Luke 15:17-18

“Leave today; leave tomorrow; just leave!” reads an advertisement for a resort. When you hear the invitation to “just leave,” what comes to your mind? An unpleasant work situation? A home filled with arguments? A marriage that has failed?

Leaving is appealing, but the glamor begins to fade when you face the next question: Where do I go?

Your destination is the answer to a fundamental question: Are you running away from duty and responsibility, or going God’s way?

Jesus told of a young man who asked for his inheritance and left home. He squandered the money on food, women and entertainment, until he went finally bankrupt. Here’s how Jesus described it: “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father...’” (Luke 15:7-18). He left a bad situation and went home! When you have run from responsibility and gotten yourself into trouble, leaving it and going home is the right thing to do, no matter how difficult it may be.

Like this young man – often referred to as the Prodigal – you may be saying, “If I could only go home.” Going home requires courage. Saying, “I was wrong; please forgive me,” may be the hardest thing you can ever do, but it pays great rewards because God is on your side when you do.

One of the wonderful things about the grace of God is that He meets us where we are. Leaving always sounds romantic and exciting, but it’s not always the right thing. So when you get the urge to leave, ask yourself, “Where do I go? and “Am I leaving because I’m running away from home or going back home?”