How did the song "Come Home" come about?
Come Home is a song I wrote for my brother, Derek. All three of my brothers are adopted and have wrestled with their own demons so to speak, but Derek is the oldest of the three, and I watched him start fighting some pretty significant battles (especially with alcohol) when he was in Jr. High. He is now in his early twenties and over the past few years has hit rock bottom more than once. I began praying for him when he was little and was never hesitant in giving my honest opinion, many times coming across as overly "preachy." The Lord convicted me of my insensitivity and challenged me to continue to pray and simply love my brother without feeling the need to correct him at every turn or offer advice when he didn't ask for it. After all, doesn't God love Derek more than I ever could? The answer is yes. If I truly believe that, I can rest in knowing that the Holy Spirit is working in his heart even when I can't see the evidence of that work. Around the time that I wrote Come Home with Jason Ingram, Derek and I began having deep spiritual conversations over the phone. These were very honest conversations that essentially ripped my heart out as my brother would disclose his fears and reveal the pain from rejection that he tried to deny every day of his life. We would cry together as I tried to reassure him that God had never left him even in the darkest of nights. Come Home came out of those conversations.
I would love to say that this story has a happy ending, that everything has been packaged and tied with a nice little bow. But the truth is, it's messy. My brother still wrestles with himself and struggles with alcohol. He can't fathom the concept of grace and knows he doesn't have what it takes to be "perfect." Until he lets go of his fears of failing and trusts Jesus completely and finally for salvation, he will keep trying to find his identity in everything that can never answer that longing. Until then, I will keep praying. And loving. And speaking the truth of God's Word to him when he calls in the middle of the night. God is the God of the prodigal. After all, He left the 99 sheep to go after the one lost. I believe the Lord will bring my brother home in His time.
(I waited till my 2nd record was finished before playing this song for Derek. I was nervous to let him hear it, but sat beside him as he listened for the first time. When the song was over, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and his crooked smile and said, "That's perfect, Sissy. Can I hear it again?")
