Estranged No More

Being estranged from family and loved ones can be most troubling.  It suggests some obstacle lies between the intimate friendship and fellowship God intended we have with one another by His love.  While this separation may be the result of many factors, to cut others off or to be cut off can be a most painful trial.  But praise the LORD, love suffers long.  There is comfort, hope and healing found in Christ even when relationships are damaged beyond repair.

It seems the people you are closest to have the potential to inflict the greatest wounds by estrangement.  This is evident in marriages gone sour or when children are estranged from their parents.  The impact of this is more keenly felt when the paternal, maternal or marital bonds are broken--sometimes from one side.  I think of when Ishmael was sent away by Abraham or the parable Jesus told of the Prodigal Son when the son decided to take his share of the inheritance and depart from his father's house.  Human relationships are very complex as they involve hidden matters of the heart, blind spots on both sides and the struggle to process all that has happened along the way.

I witnessed a scene recently that impacted me when a parent called out to their teenager who was walking with their friends.  At first I didn't know if the teen heard their parent, but it was obvious she heard when she stopped walking and turned around.  Then slowly, very slowly, she turned back to walk away with friends as if she had not heard a thing.  How deep a wound this could potentially strike into a heart that longs for closeness and companionship!  It made me consider:  have I done this with God?  He has come to us in the person of Jesus and called people to follow Him.  Would I turn my back on Him and walk away as if He had not said anything, ignoring Him and His loving concern as worthless?

It is good to consider if we are estranged from God right now because we have allowed something to stand between us.  God is our good, heavenly Father who calls out to us; He is never estranged from us, but we can choose to be estranged from Him.  Glory to God He pursues and speaks to those who stray, seeking their restoration to fellowship with Him.  Let us draw near at the voice of the Good Shepherd who speaks, our Redeemer who revives our souls.