For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever. Philemon 1:15

If you’ve never read the book of Philemon, I encourage you to do so. Its only 25 verses long and has a great story. Onesimus was a slave to Philemon. He did some bad things and ran away from his master. Onesimus was caught and imprisoned. There, he met the disciple Paul. During their time together in prison, Onesimus accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior.

With his newfound faith, Onesimus knew he needed to return to his master. Back in those days a runaway slave who returned was sure to be treated badly or worse yet killed. To smooth the transition back, Paul wrote a letter to Philemon, asking for him to offer grace and mercy to Onesimus. If it wasn’t for him running away, he would never had the opportunity to discover the life transformation Jesus Christ could offer him and make him a better person.

As I read this story, the verse above really spoke to me. Maybe you have someone in your life whose left the comfort of your family and looking for escape from the realities of life. You worry about them, pray for them and hope to see their return. Have faith in the Lord that even on the run, God will help them cross paths with someone like Paul who can minister to them and transform their life into someone better. When they return, have grace and mercy for the one you love. God is working on your runaway! God bless!