In the course of living life, one inevitably comes to a point of longing for that which is familiar.

In the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy declares in cinematic fashion “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home”, while the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man join forces to make Dorothy’s wish come true and get her back to the place she loved.

In our quest for the familiar there is no place which invites this desire than the place we call home.

Esthetically, one can almost smell the aroma of a fresh baked apple pie on a brilliant fall day or the scent of your favorite coffee filling the air. These play a small part in saying to one, “I’m home”.

On a more personal level, there is nothing which says “I’m home” better than those you love sitting around the dinner table, family inhabiting the rooms of your house, or hearing the sound of laughter erupt in your children from inside your walls.

In looking to paint a picture of what it is like to come home, my mind strays to a scene from the 2002 movie, Antwone Fisher.

Antwone is a young, African American navy man with intense anger management issues. He is forced to see the base psychiatrist, played by Denzel Washington, in an effort to address his anger problem.

Antwone is required to discover the root of what is causing his anger.

This eventually puts Antwone on the path of seeking the mother who abandoned him and coming to grips about the death of a father he never knew.

At first he is resistant to the discovery process, but the desire to come to understand who he is ultimately prevails.

After much searching and facing painful truths, he is wonderfully introduced to members of his father’s family. He enters a house filled with loving, this-is-my-newly-found-family faces. They greet him with warmth, compassion, and love each embracing or greeting him in a special way.

French doors leading to the dining room are closed. After the initial display of acceptance by his family members, the French doors are opened to a table filled with all kinds of festive food.

More importantly, seated around the table are the matriarchs and patriarchs of his unfamiliar clan.

The elder matriarch motions for Antwone to come to her. She is silent with tears in her eyes and in the most endearing of ways grasps his face in her hands and lovingly says “Welcome”, cementing Antwone’s inclusion and acceptance into his newly found family.

The genuine smile on his face acknowledges this fact – I am home!

If you care to see the clip you can do so here.

It is hard not to watch this scene without crying as it hits a parallel nerve.

When we are on the outside looking in we sense that something deep down is missing. We feel out of place and less than anchored. We long for acceptance and belonging.

Often times we are seeking the feeling of being home when Home is pro-actively seeking us. There is a Father who longs for us to be known as His family. His heart is set on our inclusion. The decision is up to us, unforced and freely chosen.

In what is commonly referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we have a clear picture of Home seeking us.

To paraphrase, a man had two sons and the younger wanted his share of his father’s estate prior to his father’s death. The father agreed to divide his wealth between his two sons.

The younger son leaves for a distant land where he wasted his share of the wealth on wild living. His money runs out, a famine hits the land, and he takes on work feeding pigs while facing hunger himself. He finally comes to his senses and realizes his father’s servants have it much better than his current experience is playing out.

With a humble and repentant attitude he heads toward home and is intent on asking his father’s forgiveness for his wrongs.

As the verse below conveys Home, in the person of his father, came running to him and the celebration of one who was lost now being found begins.

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’“ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ (Luke 15:20-24 NLT)

Much like Dorothy declaring “there’s no place like home” or Antwone coming to experience what it was like to have a family include him, our experience of coming home cannot be found in a place.

It can only be found in a person who wants us to know Him as Abba, Father, Daddy, or Papa.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:15-16 NLT)

The choice is yours. If you choose to know Him as Father – Welcome Home!

Photos courtesy of Brittany Castillejo