School is just about out for the summer, and for many families this means an annual vacation to a place called home.

We live in such a transient society in which few people actually live where they were born or raised, so in order to see parents or grandparents, this means a road trip. The sad reality is that some have had such a bad experience growing up that they have no desire to go home. Or for some, the welcome mat is not being laid out for them to return.

When someone becomes a Christian, they become part of the family of God, and for some over time they find themselves drifting away. For Christians, there is always that tug at the heart to return to the fellowship. The good news is that we always are welcome back. The story of the prodigal son best illustrates this, in which a young son takes off and lives a life of rebellion but soon finds himself in a horrible mess and with a yearning to go home. We get the picture of the father going out each day looking for the wayward son to return, and when he did return, he was met with full acceptance and a party.

In our society, if a person wants to go home they have to make up their mind that this is what they really want to do, and then they have actually get in a car or on a plane and start on the journey. For the Christian who wants to return, there is the need to call upon our heavenly father and admit your sins and your desire to return. Then this same father will forgive you, fully accept you and, with the angels in heaven, rejoice over you.