Come to Me

Matthew 25:35 I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me,…

According to research psychologist Dr. Richard L. Blake: Cutting off family members is becoming more and more common, leading experts to consider the drivers of the division. A 2025 YouGov survey found that 38% of U.S. adults are estranged from at least one family member, including siblings, parents, children or grandparents. Based on his research and work in the field of family estrangement, Dr. Richard L. Blake, a British psychologist and author based in Austin, Texas, shared the following factors that he believes commonly contribute to fractured family relationships.

No. 3 in Dr. Blakes top five factors? ‘Therapy culture:’A culture frequently defined by the assessment of how “others” from our past have negatively affected our present (e.g., parents and other close family members) often results in the encouragement of estrangement —the ‘I cut off my parents to protect my mental health’ justification. But Blake points out that the proof is definitely not in the pudding, observing, “a 2024 study led by German sociologist Karsten Hank … found that adults estranged from parents or siblings reported lower life satisfaction and more depressive symptoms than those who maintained family relationships.”

During my time with the Lord I read something Oswald Chambers stated that fits perfectly into the alarming, cultural statistic above and this season of Elul. Oswald stated:Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him. Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it. Beware of allowing the influence of your friends or your circumstances to divide your life. 

Estrangement is defined as: the loss of closeness and affection in a relationship. It happens when people who used to be close—like family members, friends, or partners—grow physically or emotionally distant, stop talking, or become unfriendly. In the opening passage of Scripture Jesus stated that He has been a stranger. Can you imagine the Creator of the Universe being a stranger to His creation? But Jesus states you brought Me together with yourselves, welcomed, entertained, and lodged Me. Have you ever been estranged from Jesus? If you have lost affection for Him, closeness, stopped talking to Him, or become unfriendly to Him – you have. Have you ever left Jesus behind so you can do what you please? Have you ever not invited Jesus to be part of your family, vacations, entertainment, fellowships, or friendships? Is He welcome or a distant stranger?

A mother and daughter had not spoken in five years following a bitter argument. Every week, the mother bought a single skein of yarn in her daughter’s favorite color, adding a few rows to a blanket. The mother didn’t know where her daughter lived or if she would ever return home. Yet, one winter, the daughter fell on hard times and secretly returned to her hometown. Looking at her childhood home from across the street, through the window, she could see her mother sitting by the fire, wrapped in a massive, vibrant, hand stitched blanket made entirely of her favorite color – purple.

Jesus never forgets us. In fact He actively mourns your presence when you live a life estranged from Him. You could say that the estrangement is stitched into every scar of His resurrected body. We might run away and cut ties, but God spends the years of our absence weaving a grace-filled welcome for our return. Praise Jesus He leaves the welcome mat of Elul calling for us to return to being wrapped in the blanket of His Presence.