For you did not receive a Spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship…
        — Romans 8:15  NIV 

When a Son Comes Home

Arriving unannounced,
	he tosses his jacket to the sofa.

		It lands on the floor instead.

Oblivious to the miss and heading
	straight to the fridge,
	he peruses leftovers.

		Maybe he'll find a snack.

Dripping milk and dropping crumbs,
        he sifts through a pile of stacked mail.

		Looking for his name.

Flipping familiar light switches,
	he makes his way through the house.

		No room is off limits.

Claiming the favored chair,
	He plops down and props up feet
	on the coffee table.

		Throw pillows, thrown.

He is comfortable. He belongs. He is home.

An imposter can’t understand or enjoy the comforts of home like a son or daughter. An imposter doesn’t have a right to be there. An imposter is a stranger to the goodness and love of the owner, and they keep a safe distance. Hidden. An imposter lives in fear of what might happen next as they cower in the shadows. Guilty.

For those in Christ, fear — ideally — has no grip. We are set free from imposter status and have been clothed with a new identity as a child of the King.

I John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God . . .” (NIV).

When we are in Christ, we are His children and we bear His name. This applies to you, too. You are free to enjoy His presence. Free to rest in the security and approval of your loving, caring, heavenly Father.

Yes, you need to fear God in a healthy, respectful way. (Fearing Him in that way is smart.) But you don’t need to live in fear of what He’ll do to you. You are a son or daughter of the King. You are His and He is Yours.

This may be new information and difficult to believe, especially if your earthly father wasn’t a safe presence. Even though you’re a Christian, you may struggle to fully accept your identity as a child of the King, fully loved and fully valued, with full rights as an heir.

Don’t be discouraged. It can take time to “change your brain” and believe a new truth. Start believing. Keep seeking. Keep growing. Keep believing.

Lord, thank you that you call us sons and daughters. Take away any fear that keeps us from fully resting in your presence. You are a gentle, good Shepherd. In You, we are truly home. We want to know you better. Replace any misperceptions we have of You with Truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Check out this beautiful translation of Romans 8:15-17:

All who follow the leading of God’s Spirit are God’s own sons. Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear—you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, “Father, my Father”. The Spirit himself endorses our inward conviction that we really are the children of God. Think what that means. If we are his children we share his treasures, and all that Christ claims as his will belong to all of us as well! Yes, if we share in his suffering we shall certainly share in his glory. (Phillips)