Calling Home

As my family sat in church a few Sundays ago, my husband’s phone lit up with an incoming call. I looked down and saw “Kyle” on the face of his phone and then looked at my husband. With overwhelming joy in my heart I whispered, “Go and answer it!”

We wait for that call every week now. Kyle is our first born son who left in November to join the military. He is still in training and at most he gets to call home now once a week. We long to hear his voice and to hear how he is doing. All week he is told when to get up, where to stand, how to stand, when to move and how to move, and then for a few hours once a week he gets a pass. On pass he is free to do whatever he wants with this time. Okay, it’s the military so it’s not whatever he wants but still he has freedom. He can go hang out with the other soldiers, go to the store or use his phone. Today it hit me that he is free to do whatever he would like. He could do whatever he wants and he chooses to call home and talk to us. Wow.

I found myself overwhelmed by God and His love for me as I thought about it. As people we all sin. And at some point in our lives we have been slaves to that sin. We end up feeling like my son who is being controlled by the US Army. We have no freedom. We are imprisoned and sin is our master drill sergeant. But Jesus came to set us free from that bondage and when we put our faith, hope and whole lives into His hands he gives us freedom. A non-controlling freedom to do whatever we want. But what do we do? Do we go on sinning just like before because we are forgiven and God will and can forgive us again? Do we put filthy rags back on and declare we are temples? Or do we call home and talk to our Father and hear His voice say our name? Do we use our freedom to rest in Him? To hear Him say, “I love you. I am proud of you, son, because you are beautifully and wonderfully made.”

We have the freedom to call home and talk to our Father. Not just on a pass that will end after a few hours, like my son when he calls us, but an endless freedom to be at home resting in Him for an eternity. I don’t know about you but for me I don’t want go back to how I was before I had His freedom. His way brings life and joy, meaning and purpose, and fills me in ways sin never could. His freedom pours out kindness, love and compassion. He is present in the mist of my suffering and the source of all of my joy. Whether I have a four hour pass or the rest of my life to give I want to give it all to Him. I can only picture the look on my Father’s face when He sees us calling His name. Overwhelming.