It’s not the same, or at least it’s not the same as I remember it. When I visit my parents back in Michigan, things have changed. They don’t live in the same house anymore. The grocery store I worked at has been torn down. The church has been remodeled. Everything is different.
In his book You Can’t Go Home Again, Thomas Wolfe once wrote, “You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man’s dreams of glory and fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting, but which are changing all the time.”
You can’t go home again. I mean, you can go home. You can return to where you grew up, but it’s never the same as you remember it. You can’t go back in time.
The same is true when you do something bad. When you mess up, you can’t always go back to the way your life was before. Once the deed is done, once the hurt is done, once the damage is done, you can’t simply say, “I’m sorry,” and expect all the consequences to magically disappear.
If you have an affair, your marriage may be over. If you drive drunk, you may end up sitting in a jail cell. If you cheat on a test, you may get expelled. Even if you’re sorry, you can’t expect that you will be able to go back to the way things were before.
You can’t always go home again.
If you have a chance this week, read Luke 15:11-32 in your Bible. In those verses, Jesus tells his famous Parable of the Prodigal Son, a story that helps us understand God’s love for us.
In the story, an ungrateful, rebellious son leaves home, travels to a distant country, and squanders his entire inheritance on wild living - on sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll.
After losing everything, he hits rock bottom. Sitting in the mess he made of his life, he came to a decision. He would go home.
But he knew he couldn’t go home again. He couldn’t possibly go back to the way things used to be. He had messed everything up. His only hope was that maybe his father would let him be one of his servants.
When he got home, however, his father wrapped his arms around him and hugged him. He welcomed him home as a son. He even threw a party to celebrate.
The point of the parable is simple. Though here on earth you may have to deal with the painful consequences of your actions - though you may not be able to go back to your life the way it was before - you can always go home again to God.
Because of his amazing grace - because Jesus suffered our punishment in our place on the cross when we repent, our heavenly Father will always welcome us home with open arms. He will always take you back when you repent. He will always forgive you. He will always welcome you home as his son or daughter, as if nothing had happened.
So, repent. Every day. Go back to your heavenly Father and tell him you’re sony for the bad things you’ve done. Find in him full and free forgiveness.
Because, with our amazing Father in heaven, no matter how bad you’ve messed up, you can always go home again.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving’' and “364 Days of Devotion , ” on Amazon .com.
