Unshackled Moments ~ July 31, 2018 ~ We can Go Home

I had a friend when I was younger who messed up and wrecked his car. No one was hurt, and the car wasn't badly damaged, but he freaked. He didn't go home for several days because he was afraid of what his father would do because of his mistake. I remember thinking that seemed odd. This happened not long after I had left the road in my truck and hit a culvert. My truck was totaled, but I managed to get it home, though I had to drive about 10 miles an hour the entire way.

I remember getting home, washing the blood off my face and then, after taking a deep breath, waking my father to tell him I'd had a wreck. There were two reasons that I didn't put off telling him. First, I knew that any trouble or negative consequences of my actions would only be worse if I delayed or tried to hide it. I am sure that my parents would be much more upset if I disappeared for three days and wrecked the truck than they were about my wrecking the truck. But the main reason is that I knew I was safe. Dad might be upset. I felt sure he would be. But I also knew I wouldn't be beaten or kicked out of the house or anything like that. I didn't have any need to try to form a backup plan on where to go if I were no longer welcome at home. I wasn't always as secure in my Dad's love for me as I should have been, but I never doubted that I was more important to him than a vehicle. This made it possible to overcome my fear and shame and go home.

This little story is an example of why it is so important for us to realize that our Daddy loves us as we are, not as we should be. He loved us before He adopted us, and without us earning or deserving His love. This is important because it means that His continuing to love us is not about us and our performance. It's about Him and the importance that He places on us and on relationship with us. He was willing to do everything needed and pay the ultimate price to make us His. After doing so much to attain relationship with us, He's not about to cast us out or away because of a mistake or a bad, selfish, willful decision.

This is great news, because we're going to mess up. We're going to have times when we slip and fall. We're even going to have times when we choose to jump. There may be consequences, but we don't have to stay our there in the dark and the mess. We don't have to be afraid to run back to Daddy. He's not going to abuse us or reject us. He loves us much better and more perfectly than any earthly father ever could be. We can trust that love enough to go home, no matter where we've been, what we've done or what led to our mess. We are securely kept in relationship by His love for us, not by our performance, so we can quickly return if and when we stray.


This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.