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We all do it. In fact, we’ve done it since we first learned to walk.
We wander.
Something catches our attention. Curiosity ignites, and adventure calls our name.
Gone in an Instant
One of our sons was infamous for wandering. If you took your eyes off him for five seconds, he could disappear. One day, while on a family trip to Chattanooga, we stopped at an information center to ask about places to visit. In the blink of an eye, our son was gone.
We looked everywhere inside the building, but he was nowhere to be found. Panic quickly set in. My husband ran to check the bathrooms while I called his name and asked strangers if they had seen a two-year-old blond-headed boy.
Nothing.
It felt as though he had simply vanished.
Hidden in the Corner
Then, while searching the room once again, I noticed a bookshelf tucked into the corner filled with pamphlets and booklets. And there he was, sitting quietly on the floor, completely absorbed in a booklet he had found.
He hadn’t gone far. He had simply wandered toward whatever had captured his attention. Everything ended well, but I have never forgotten the panic of those moments.
That memory resurfaced this week while I was journaling, and with it came the reminder that we all wander from time to time.
Busy Hearts and Wandering Souls
Life has felt very full lately. Distractions have been plentiful. Honestly, “busy” probably should have been my word for the year. I would love for things to slow down, but sometimes that’s just not possible. And often, the things filling our lives are good things.
Still, even good things can slowly draw our attention away and steal our gaze.
Spiritual wandering can happen quietly. Little by little, our focus shifts, and before we realize it, the Lord is no longer fully in our sight. Like our son in the information center, we become absorbed in the things that have captured our attention.
Returning Our Gaze to God
But just as we went looking for our son, our Heavenly Father comes looking for us. He doesn’t panic, though. God pursues. He gently seeks our attention again, calling us back to Himself. He invites us to turn from the noise, lift our eyes from distractions, and free our hearts from the busyness of life so we can return our gaze to Him.
In doing so, we bring Him the parts of our hearts that may have drifted away from our First Love.
So today, if you find yourself wandering as I have, perhaps these lyrics written by a Benedictine Monk from decades ago might be encouraging: “Come back to me with all your heart…”
Oh, and one last thing: don’t let fear, shame, guilt, or any lie of the enemy keep you from coming home to Him. Our Father will travel any distance, go to any lengths, and give up anything, including His life, to bring you home.
Scriptures to ponder:
