Coming To Our Senses

Eventually, in Jesus’ story about the Prodigal Son, He tells us that the younger son finds himself as far from his family as he can possibly be. In a foreign country, living among strangers, broke and destitute, the younger son suddenly sees through the fog of his own rebellion. He realizes what he has squandered; he recognizes that his only hope for survival is to throw himself at the feet of his Father, begging for mercy. And so he begins the long journey home, all the way rehearsing his speech.

The term the Bible uses for the younger son’s awakening is “he came to his senses.” When he came to his senses, he began to turn back towards his Father. Repentance begins when we come to our senses.

How do we come to our senses? Can I suggest there are two ways? The first is through conviction. The Bible tells us that God’s law is written on every human heart. We know what is right and what is wrong. We find elaborate ways to suppress that knowledge, but try as we might, every now and then our conscience pricks us and we know the path we have chosen is the wrong one.

The second way we come to our senses is through circumstances; more often than not painful circumstances. The younger son “came to his senses” when his money had run out, his belly was growling for food and he was covered in the shameful muck of a pig sty. His circumstances had uncovered and exposed his rebellion. Pain has a very happy knack of getting our attention.

You see sin always leads to pain. Romans 3:23 tells us that "the wages of sin is death..." Sin always takes you down paths you don't want to go. Sin always leads to places you don't want to be. When a pastor is warning you of sin, it is not that the pastor is a killjoy who doesn't want you to have any fun. When God warns of sin, it is because, as your Designer, your Creator, He knows what will harm you. It is not harshness or legalism which leads to the warnings of sin...it is grace! God in His grace is trying to warn you from to not go down roads that lead to painful circumstances.

The journey towards healing and wholeness begins when we come to our senses. The journey home to our heavenly Father’s open arms of love begins when we wake up to our rebellion.

The possibility of restoration, healing, forgiveness opens up as we begin to turn away from our sin and instead turn towards the loving arms of God.