If God was like the paparazzi, then He would hang out with the celebrities and the power-brokers.  But He is not.  Lucky for you and me.

What does God say?

"A Message from the high and towering God,
   who lives in Eternity,
   whose name is Holy:
"I live in the high and holy places,
   but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed,
And what I do is put new spirit in them,
   get them up and on their feet again."  - Isaiah 57:15, The Message  

I also like to read the Bible in the NASB translation:

"For thus says the high and exalted One

Who lives forever, whose name is holy,

I dwell in a high and holy place,

And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit

In order to revive the spirit of the lowly

And to revive the heart of the contrite." - Isaiah 57:15 NASB

• Despite His elevated status and being, God says that He likes to be with the down and out.  Why?  Because He wants to encourage them.
• And maybe because when one is in need (whether physical, spiritual, and/or emotional), one is more likely to be aware of one's need for God.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about God is that one has to have it "all-together" before one can approach God.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

God loves us where we are, but He also loves us too much to leave us there.

In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), we see God's unconditional love modeled in the father's welcome of the prodigal.  The father let the prodigal run from his love, but when the son came to his senses and wanted to return, the father was there with open arms.

Returning home to our loving Father is always the first step in our spiritual journey.  Returning means being honest with God about where we are.  I know that can be hard sometimes - very hard, especially if one doesn't want to be where one is.

Sometimes in my relationship with God, I find myself leaving home and returning several times in one day.

But I have found that whenever I am honest with God about my heart's condition - be it ungrateful or angry - He accepts me.  Once I stop hiding, then He can help me change, heal and grow.  He changes my perspective.

Where are you?  Are you home or do you need to return home?

© All text and images.  Soul Stops/D.L. 2011. All Rights Reserved.