Making a U-Turn

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!” (Luke 11:17, ESV)

  We have all gone down the wrong path a time or two in our lives. We have all chosen to disregard the danger signs our friends or family have held up cautioning us slow us down. At moments we have also sped by the signposts of guidance that our Heavenly Father has offered, warning us to turn around before we are hurt or damaged by our own sin and selfishness.  At these moments, stubbornness roils up in our hearts as we are determined to go our own way, simply because we want to.  Oblivious to the numerous potholes in the road we are on and averting our eyes from the possibility of loose rocks hitting us, we speed forward.  On and on we go, rounding the curves with crumbling shoulders at unsafe speeds.  Ever pushing forward in the way, we want to go.

     Upon our arrival in the land of promised bliss and pleasure, we often find ourselves in a destination of bitterness and disappointment. We find damage on the inside and outside of us.  When signposts are ignored and the road conditions are disregarded, there will be consequences in our lives.

Yet even in this place of broken promise and emptiness with seemingly nothing but regret as our reward there is always the opportunity of a U-Turn.  The U-Turn sign tells us we can make a complete turn in the opposite direction.  We can go from the hopelessness of brokenness to the hopefulness of grace.  Our Heavenly Father stands waiting to love us and extend to us the blessings of His grace.

     Jesus told the story of “The Prodigal Son” to show the unlimited grace of the Heavenly Father has towards His children. The “Son” claimed his inheritance while his “Father” was still alive. He took all the money, turned his back on his Father, traveled to a place far from his home, and spent it all. Eventually, in desperation, he came to his senses. “He said, ‘I will go back to my Father, and say to him, Father I have sinned…’” The good news is that the Father never gave up on his rebellious Son, and welcomed him home (Luke 15:11-32). The Son took advantage of the U-Turn opportunity and we can too.

     No matter what road we have traveled down, we can turn around.  No matter what pig pen we find ourselves in; muddied, broken and eating the rejected slop around us, we can always turn and go home. The most important moment will never be about where we were but about where we are.  Taking advantage of an U-Turn opportunity allows us to travel in a completely different direction.  Making a U-Turn in our lives through repentance allows us as prodigal children to return to the blessed relationship as full heirs of the Heavenly Father. Coming back to the welcoming arms of the Good Father, allows the true wealth of His love to redeem the mess, we have made through our stubbornness and foolishness.  In all of the world, there is no better place to be than to be at home with the Heavenly Father.  Is it time to make a U-Turn in your life?

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (Luke 11:21-24, ESV)