The End of A Long Journey

As I sit and listen to Dustin Kensrue's song, "Please Come Home", I can't help but tear up as I think about the many families that have been through the prodigal son story themselves. The way he writes his words, and the tunes with them, reminds me how important family really is in this world of pain, sin, and alienation. It is now no surprise to me that people wish they could trade fame, riches, and even friendships for a strong, solid family life.
The reason this is titled "The End of a Long Journey" is because just last week, my sister decided to end a very hurtful and unhealthy relationship with her boyfriend of nearly 3 years. During that time she had estranged herself, whether knowingly or no, from the rest of our family. She was doubtlessly living in sin, and hardly ever seemed like she was very happy, though she lied to herself and us that she was, truly, happy with her relationship and life. We tried to be as loving and kind to her as we could, but she was always so "busy" that we rarely saw her. Family dinners were always tense, as we could tell Jewelie was trying very hard not to say anything that would offend us, or accidentally inform us of the sin in her life. It was palatable, watching her choose her words so carefully, and quickly cleaning up after a slip of the tongue that told the truth.
But what hurt us more than the lies, or the sin, or even her absence was that, for all this time, the person that called herself Jewelie Chausse and looked like Jewelie Chausse, really wasn't Jewelie Chausse. She had hidden herself under a guise of rebellion and sin, and we missed her dearly.
But now she is back! The past few days have been filled with sudden bright rays of authenticity, as the old(er) sister made a new appearance, albeit with some timidity. She is herself once again, and I can hardly believe it myself, that she really is back for good. I realize that there is a great deal of healing and growing ahead, but I am grateful that Jewelie is willing to make an effort to do so, and I hope to be an encouragement to her in as many ways as I can.
As for you, dear reader, I hope that you will carefully consider the person (or people) in your life that may be going through a similar experience. Maybe you have written them off, telling yourself that they're out of reach, beyond saving. Let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth! The days before Jewelie told me she was breaking up with her boyfriend, that was the last thing on my mind. Yes, my family and I would get together and pray for her once a month or so, but I didn't think this was coming anytime soon. So don't give up hope! Your friends may be closer to redemption than you think. Also, prayer WORKS. It just may take longer than you think it should.

Ronald Leroy Chausse'