"All His blessed children which be come out of Him by Nature shall be brought again into Him by Grace."
Julian of Norwich (Ch. 63)
We come from God. That's our family. That's who we come from and who we belong with. We have divine DNA within us and bear the family likeness. And our Trinity family dotes on us and adores us as the dear little beloved children we are, precious treasures that are irreplaceable. In the Trinity's eyes we are perfect and lovable and can do no wrong. We are just innocent and sweet little kids. It's true that little children can get themselves into messes. They can wander off into the dark woods and get lost and not be able to find their way back. They can get scared as night falls and they hear strange sounds in the woods, and they can be paralyzed with fear and think all kinds of crazy things. And in the darkness when they can't see around them, they can fall down into a ravine and get hurt and find that they are unable to get up or get out of the ravine.
But the children are still the responsibility of the Parents. We are not out on our own having to pull ourselves up, mend our wounds ourselves, clean ourselves up and find our way home, having to make ourselves presentable before we will be let back in. No! Our Trinity family is responsible for our welfare. When we get lost, God comes after us just like a shepherd looking for his lost little lambs. God looks for us and finds us, every last one. God takes us up in His arms and carries us home. God washes us, cleans up and cares for our wounds, gives us a warm bath and a warm meal, with lots of hugs and kisses, rocks us to sleep and then tucks us safely into our beds. We are the family of God, God's little adorable children, and no matter what mess we have gotten into, God brings us back home safe and sound. All the little children that have come from God by nature (by being created from Him) come back to Him by grace (meaning God does it all, out of love). Our story was never in danger of having a bad ending. Our story has always been wrapped up in His love, and the ending was always assured: and they lived happily ever after!
"I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back home.... I will feed them...I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak....They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them."
Ezekiel 34:12-13, 15-16, 28 (NLT)
A Prayer: Your grace is so wonderful! I'm safely home with where I belong - with You forever!