A Call To Return

-Joann Montes

It’s so easy to drift.

We barely notice when we do. It happens not necessarily because we’re doing something “wrong.” Sometimes we drift simply because life is loud. Responsibilities pile up. We get tired. We start running on autopilot. And before we know it, our hearts are no longer facing the same direction they were when we first said, “Yes, Lord.”'

That’s why I believe this season matters so much for our church.

And that brings me to this: it’s time to come back.

To come back doesn’t mean we pretend we never got off track, it simply means we choose to turn again. We realign. We stop living spiritually scattered, pulled in ten directions, and we allow the Lord to gather us back into His presence, back to God focused worship.

Some of us have been carrying so much. Some of us have been faithful, but tired. And if I’m honest, sometimes we don’t even realize how far our hearts have wandered until we feel the heaviness of it.

That’s why this scripture has been in my heart: “Come close to God, and God will come close to you” (James 4:8). What a promise! Not a threat. Not a lecture. An invitation. God isn’t standing far away with crossed arms, He’s drawing near, calling us closer, reminding us that we’re not alone and we don’t have to stay distant.

I love the way Jesus describes a life that can stand in Matthew 7. He says the wise person builds their house on the rock. The storms still come, the winds still blow, the rain still falls—but the house remains standing because what it’s built on is solid. That’s what I want for us. Not a faith that only works when life is calm, but a faith that stands when life is shaking.

So I want to ask you gently: What has your heart been facing lately?

What has been shaping your thoughts? What has been feeding your spirit? What has been steering your decisions?

Because here’s the hope: God is not intimidated by our drifting. He is not shocked by our weakness. He is the One who calls us back—again and again—with mercy.

This month, let this be your simple prayer:

“Lord, bring me back to You. Bring me back to your voice. Root me again in Your Word. Steady me in Your presence.”

We are not building on hype. We are building on Christ. And as we return to Him, we will find what we’ve always needed: clarity, stability, peace, and a faith that can carry us forward.