One of the things that I most enjoy doing is going on short trips, enjoying my time in a new place and then returning home to all that is safe and familiar. I like visiting others, but I really like being at home, with my comforting things all around me. To put that in a spiritual perspective, God cries out to us constantly to return to Him. There are so many who wander from place to place seeking some kind of peace and acceptance from the world. But the only real peace and acceptance comes from our Father who has created us and knows what is best for us.

God wants to show us mercy and compassion. His desire is not to punish us. I have been asked by non-Christians how a loving God could send people to hell. My answer is always the same. He did not create hell for people. It was created for Satan and his demons. But if man chooses to go the way of sin and turns away from God, refusing to repent, then God has no choice but to allow them to go to hell. It is man’s choice, not God’s. In the book of Joel, God is crying out for His people, all those whom He has created, to repent and turn to Him, to change their hearts. God’s cry is not one of vengeance or waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. His cry is a heartfelt one of sincerely desiring us to change so that we don’t have to suffer eternal punishment and separation from Him. God provided a way to be with Him always through His Son Jesus Christ, but it up to us to return to God. Just as we find comfort when we are among our familiar things at home, we can find comfort in the arms of our Heavenly Father who made a way for us to return to Him.

May you have a blessed and peaceful Ash Wednesday as you ponder the sacrifice of the Lord and the eternity with Him that is granted by His sacrifice. If you need to do so, may you return to God!