We like to showcase our successes in life and hide our failures. No one brags about their divorce, bankruptcy, incarceration, DUI, abortion, or addiction. These failures create shame and we begin to label ourselves by them. Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son is a powerful lesson in the new identity that God offers us by his love and grace. When we finally understand that God’s love and grace are real - really real - it will change us and lead us into a relationship with him.

Until we admit that we are powerless on our own to find fulfillment in this life, we will never truly find our way back to God. But once we recognize our need for help, we have already made the turn that leads us home to our heavenly Father. If you are like every other person, you will try to go it on your own many times in the years to come. You'll even try to pease and serve God on your own -- and that won't work either. We can't do it on our own, and that is very good to know. Let your awakening to your need for help continue to shape your choices in the years ahead. Help has a name, and that name is Jesus. Every time you turn away from self-centeredness and pride, he will be there to rescue, strengthen, and guide you on your journey with him.

Our attempts to find purpose, love, and meaning on our own lead to an endless cycle of longing and regret. You don’t have to waste the power of your sincere regret on more self-condemnation. You can let it move you confidently in God’s direction.

We all have a longing to love and be loved in return, to find purpose for our days, and to make sense out of life when life doesn’t seem to make any sense. Those longings are from God, and when you allow those strong desires for more to draw you nearer to him, he will fulfill your longings.

Why is it some people go through extraordinarily tough times and are broken, while others are not? Check out this secret to weathering the storms of life.