Coming to Yourself

"When he came to his senses...." (Lk.15:17). Literally "but to himself coming." What does that mean? It is a sober place. It is a place of serious reflection It is a place of resolve and decision. Often people live for a long time in a place of self-justification or regret or denial or pain and victimization or self-doubt or fear or complacency. It is a place where people get stuck in terrible situations, cycles of abuse, cycles of addiction, cycles of cynicism, and cycles of anger. "Coming to one's self" is a place to break the cycle and to get on a new path. It is a place of repentance and redemption and transformation. It is a place of hope and new beginnings. It is the fork in the road and the first step to a new, different, and better life. It is freeing and energy-giving. It is bold and daring and risky. You have to get up and get honest. It is a place of seeing and hearing again. It the point when we realize we are trapped but the door to the cell is not locked. The jailer left the key within reach. The angel shows up and gives us strength to walk out.

Sin, poor decisions, taking the wrong turn, doing something stupid leads us into lostness and despair and folly. We wake up for 100 mornings knowing we are in the wrong place but not having the will that day to make a decision. Then when we do, we play a tape and loop it a 1000 times to drown out the choice. It is easier to stay than to go but it is harder and harder every day to stay.

Coming to ourselves means to return to our design and purpose. It means that we know we were created good and for a reason. We have to claw our way back to that reason and hold on like a newborn at her mother's breast. We have to trust that God will meet us at the point of our true self. He will be there to take our hand and to guide us out as long as it takes. In fact He is there before we decide to escape, waiting for us to arrive. So what are you waiting for? Arise and be baptized, washing away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.! (Acts 22:16)