Home is a big deal. For Isabell Bowling, home has meant different locations. While in college, it was her dorm room. When she’d go home on breaks, it was the family home. “Home is the place where I belonged, where I knew I had a place that was set apart for me.”
Her mom, Sarah Bowling, says, “When I think of home, I think of my Dad with popcorn on the stove. I remember walking in the house and smelling that buttery popcorn. Home is where you can let your hair down and belong.”
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But for some, the idea of home can be filled with negative connotations. For some folks, home has been a toxic experience. To overcome those feelings Sarah and Isabell wrote The Road Home. The book, a parable of the Prodigal Son, shows a man who no longer feels like he belongs in his home.
Maybe you were raised in a broken home where you no longer feel like you belonged in that place anymore. Jesus shared a verse in John 14, I have gone before you to prepare a place for you. In the parable, the father of the prodigal son kept the son’s place in the home and went out to bring his son home.
Isabell has comforting insight, “If you’ve come from a broken home that was painful and difficult, remember that Jesus has gone before you and He has created a place where you belong and matter.” There is a place where you belong, and that is the kingdom of Heaven. You were intentionally created for the place God has for you.
The sense of “father” is key in the parable. There’s a lot of attention given to the younger son who runs away, then the older son is unhappy because Dad threw a big party for his younger brother, the reprobate. Still, the father is central key catalyst, the change agent in the parable. In the Jewish tradition, this parable is called, The Chasing Father. In reality, the parable is about the father, even more than either of the sons.
You may be struggling as it relates to your relationship with our Heavenly Father, and maybe you perceive your Heavenly Father as angry, punitive, judgmental, exclusive, dismissive or superior—looking down on you. So many times, the way we perceive our Heavenly Father is a reflection of our earthly upbringing. That can be problematic because no parent is perfect. But God can redeem and speak into broken places and repair that relationship with your Heavenly Father.
In the parable of the prodigal, the father went out to each son, chasing and connecting with each of them. Sometimes you might think you’re not worthy and that you need to clean up, but our Father chases us regardless of whether we’ve done everything right or if we’ve messed up. Regardless of our condition, our Heavenly Father chases us—not based on what we have or haven’t done, but based on who our Father is.
Home is where our Heavenly Father is, and our Heavenly Father chasing us is welcoming us to. It’s as if He’s saying, “Come home. I’m passionately in love with you and I love you because you’re my child.”
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“Sometimes, we think of God as inactive, on His throne watching everything play out,” says Isabell. “But the truth is God as a Heavenly Father is active in your life. He is seeking you out. If you have walked away from the Lord, He is seeking you.”
You don’t have to feel lost, stuck, or far from God. Begin your journey back to grace, healing, and belonging, and reconnect with your identity and purpose.
Marilyn Hickey founded Marilyn Hickey Ministries more than 45 years ago with God’s vision to cover the earth with the Word. Marilyn co-hosts a daily television program, Today with Marilyn & Sarah, reaching a potential viewing audience of over 2 billion households worldwide. Marilyn communicates deep biblical truths in a way that is understandable and practical for everyday life.
Sarah Bowling is on a mission to connect every one with the heart of God while loving those who are overlooked, excluded, and ignored. Led by Holy Spirit and anchored in the Word, Sarah seeks to inspire all to know the unconditional and transformational love of God in our daily lives. A Bible teacher, author, international speaker, and a global humanitarian, Sarah also co-hosts a daily television program, Today with Marilyn & Sarah.
Isabell Bowling’s passion is to help people have a transformative experience with the power of God. She brings a fresh anointing of the presence and fire of God wherever she goes. Her faith and ministry was shaped by observation and prayer, watching the Lord work in and through her grandmother, Marilyn Hickey, and her mom, Sarah Bowling. After graduating from Oral Roberts University in 2023, Isabell joined the Marilyn & Sarah Ministries team where she stepped into a powerful teaching ministry with her family.
