No matter how long I’m gone away from home, I can always count on one thing: there’s someone inside that absolutely cannot wait to see me.

The truth is, I don’t like traveling without Sassy. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself as I would be constantly preoccupied with wondering what she was thinking and feeling. When we truly love someone, we can’t bear leaving them for too long.

The closer I’ve gotten with God, the more I have been affected by those times I’ve chosen to sleep in instead of pushing myself out of bed to be in His presence. If I go a day without my quiet time, I deeply miss Him, and I feel a sense of guilt for choosing something else over our time together. The guilt isn’t coming from God; it’s coming from a conviction I have inside of me that nothing else is more important than those we truly love. There have been nights where I’ve left Sassy overnight, and I absolutely felt guilt. I can assure you though, the guilt wasn’t something Sassy wanted me to feel; she just missed me and wanted me there.

Shame and guilt are tactics used by the Christian church a lot unfortunately. Those things aren’t from God though. God just wants us there with Him; He doesn’t want us to be compelled to spend time with Him out of shame and guilt but instead out of love, longing, and conviction to make time for those we value the most.

If you’ve been away for just a little too long, I hope you’re not discouraged nor afraid to return home. I hope you don’t take to heart what many so called Christians say that keeps you from coming back. I hope you remember that man is imperfect and ultimately isn’t who matters. It’s God—a loving God longing for you to come back home, waiting with open arms.