"...rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster." (Joel 2:13)
For me, the struggles of life have always turned out to be the hand of the Father on the shoulder of a fugitive. Not only is He always turning me toward Himself, but I'm gradually becoming less of a fugitive as 'my way' becomes a preference for 'His way':
Your Way wherever it leads,
Your Hand whatever it holds,
Your Choice however it feels,
A wayward heart is the worst enemy for everyone, so the best way to keep from running rampantly away is to take daily steps toward God in the Word and in prayer. Believers rarely walk from God in large strides, but frequently in tiny steps.
Daily relational contact with God hasn't made my life idyllic, quite the opposite. I've landed in my own traps and their crippling life consequences cannot be repaired or reversed. Regular relational contact with God though, is transforming this fugitive into a loving daughter, able to carry all her crutches with peace while walking toward Home.
The Lord will bring us Home, even if wearied by efforts to run for rest somewhere other than in Him. Crippling consequences notwithstanding, God's wounds cure and sin's kisses kill.
