December 13, 2025
— Henri Nouwen · Source: The Return of the Prodigal Son, Part I, "Leaving Home"
Psalm 31:5 I commit my spirit into your hands; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
We often believe that life belongs to ourselves, striving to plan, control, and prove our worth, only to become weary and uneasy as a result. The poet's declaration of surrendering his soul to God is not an escape from reality, but an admission that true sovereignty does not reside within us. Henri Nouwen reminds me that leaving home is a denial that I belong to God with every part of my being; rest comes from returning, not clinging. Only when I am willing to let go of my anxiety about the end of my life and return it to the honest God do I discover that I have always been redeemed and upheld.
Dear Heavenly Father, I entrust my soul, my time, and my future into Your hands. When I fear loss and uncertainty, remind me that life truly belongs to You. Teach me to trust You like a poet, and to return to You like a prodigal son. May I find true rest in complete surrender, until that day when I find my perfect refuge in Your embrace. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.