[vc_row height=”small” el_class=”dailyBody” css=”.vc_custom_1465516518912{margin-top: -25px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/4″][us_separator height=”30px” size=”custom”][us_image image=”32875″ size=”tnail-1×1″][ultimate_heading main_heading_color=”#5fc8d7″ sub_heading_color=”#5fc8d7″ alignment=”left” main_heading_font_family=”font_family:Allerta|font_call:Allerta” main_heading_style=”font-style:italic;” main_heading_font_size=”desktop:16px;” sub_heading_style=”font-style:italic;,font-weight:bold;” sub_heading_font_size=”desktop:16px;” main_heading_line_height=”desktop:15px;” sub_heading_line_height=”desktop:22px;”]
[/ultimate_heading][us_separator height=”20px” size=”custom”][us_sharing providers=”email,facebook,twitter,gplus”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
Psalm 139:7 “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”
“Wanna Get Away?” You’ve all heard this advertising logo. It touches the nerve when we are at the end of our rope. It lures us to escape because vacations, tourism, and resort and leisure living are priorities in our culture. Who hasn’t said, “Let’s leave it all behind.” Traveling a physical distance away from responsibilities, relationships and rigorous schedules feels like freedom. It feels good to betray what is right and good and holy.
Whether it’s putting physical distance or figurative distance between ourselves and others, it seems to give us freedom. Freedom to be ourselves, freedom to ignore issues, people and places, freedom to ignore God. Distance provides anonymity, and anonymity seems to give us freedom to indulge and squander without guilt. Just like the prodigal son thought a faraway place would give him freedom to do what he wanted, when he wanted, and for as long as he wanted without interference from his father. The freedom was short lived, leaving him unsatisfied, unsettled, and for a Jewish boy feeding pigs, unholy. The freedom he thought he’d enjoy turned into helplessness, hopelessness, and humiliation.
Freedom is not found in escape. The prodigal son thought distance from his father would bring happiness, but it only showed him how important being in relationship to his father really was. The truth is, God gives us freedom to shape our lives around him. We are happiest when our life is full of freedom to love, serve, and worship God our maker. We want freedom to find ourselves by running away from God and others, but really it can only be found by running to him who created us. Confess what makes you distant from God, and your urge to run away from him instead of towards him, by writing a prayer today. [/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]
By Donna Burns
[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″]
[/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
