“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13, NIV).

Where does a person run to when he or she runs from the ONE? This isn’t an exercise in the abstract.

David of and-Goliath fame asked that question. “Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7b, NIV). In-the-belly-of-a-whale Jonah’s attempt at an answer put him on the bottom of the sea.

The ONE shows up. We run.

To food (that’s a favorite of mine).

To drink (coffee’s my preferred choice, a little cream, a little flavoring, a little caffeine buzz).

To games (oh, how I love my computer and its many options—Free Cell, Solitaire, Hearts).

To shallow relationships (where we don’t even know each other’s real name—2 sweetasahoneybee from doubledimples).

To all kinds of other distractions (vacations, books, movies, gardens…).

None of the above is wrong in itself. But all can be like the tugging of the tide.

We splash around. We duck underwater. We swim a bit. And before we know it, the tide pushes us so far down the beach or so far off the shore, we have no idea how to return home.

We drift a bit.

We dream a little.

Or we flat out beat feet.

Frightened by a holy presence.

Terrified if He gets too close He’ll change us (even though we want to be different, just not His kind of different, because His kind of different is…well…too different!).

And we discover ourselves in a distant country.

So what happens in a distant country far from the ONE?

We wander from…

Our identity.

Our purpose.

Our place in this big world.

We squander…

Our wealth.

Our talents.

Our opportunities.

We wander. We squander. Then we wonder why?

And have we gone too far?

And can we ever go back?

And would the ONE even want us back if we could get back?

Questions: What distracts you on the JOURNEY and pulls you away from the ONE? What helps bring you back into His presence?