As sports fans, we love when our favorite teams experience winning streaks during the season or in the postseason, or even stringing together multiple seasons of success. It’s so much fun watching our teams go on a run and get hot!

This year’s NCAA Tournament is right around the corner and if we think back to a year ago, we remember how the UNC Tar Heels went on an impressive run all the way to the National Championship. Playing with tremendous chemistry, hitting shots from deep, and finding ways to score in the paint, they were a balanced team that came close to winning it all.

Although they planned to build on that momentum as they brought back most of their key players and began the year ranked number one in the country, their regular season ended on Saturday with a loss to Duke for the second time this year. Unfortunately, this gives UNC a disappointing 19-12 record overall and an 11-9 record in the ACC.

They’ve had a rough season with not playing up to their potential, and not clicking the way they did during the tournament last year. They’ve been up and down and out of sync at times.

Now the question isn’t whether UNC will return to the National Championship, but if they will even return to the NCAA Tournament this year. We’re wondering, will they return to being the team that knows how to win in March and will they get going again in the ACC tournament?

I don’t just bring up this topic because I’m a Duke fan celebrating (well maybe!), but the bigger point to unpack today has to do with the concept of returning.

There are times in life when we get on a roll, we’re in the groove, we’re on a good streak, and then we just fall off. We find ourselves out of sync and we’re frustrated by the decisions we’re making or our lack of discipline, and we’re longing to return to when things were rolling. We know what it’s like to experience winning and we want to return to that and get going again.

This may mean returning to the gym, healthy eating, hobbies, or even meaningful relationships. But more importantly, many of us may need to return to God and His ways.

Maybe we’ve drifted and allowed busyness and the world’s distractions to take us off course. Maybe we’ve allowed sinful behavior to trap us. Or maybe we need to return to a vibrant prayer life…or to reading God’s Word…or to church..or to being in a small group…or to serving…or to generosity.

If we think back to this time last year maybe we were on a roll with getting up and spending time with the Lord, but lately that hasn’t been the case and it’s time we return.

For some of us, we’ve experienced being on fire for the Lord and we need to return to the spiritual disciplines and a heart that is fully committed to Him, which gets us back on a “winning streak.”

Lamentations 3:40 (AMP) can challenge us: “Let us test and examine our ways, And let us return to the Lord.”

The Old Testament is filled with God’s people being called to repent and return to Him.

A conversation between the prophet Jeremiah and God is found in Jeremiah 15. Verse 19 (NLT) says, “This is how the Lord responds: ‘If you return to Me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve Me…’”

Hosea 12:6 (AMP) tells us, “Therefore, return [in repentance] to your God, observe and highly regard kindness and justice, And wait [expectantly] for your God continually.”

Throughout our journey with Jesus, there may be times and seasons when we get out of sync with Him and have to return. Some people walk away by distancing themselves from Him for a while and others just need to make some slight changes to get realigned.

Either way, we all face opportunities for repentance, to acknowledge our sins and our mistakes, and return to God and His ways. Thankfully, He willingly receives us with love, forgiveness, and grace. So will we return?

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess there are times when I drift from You and get out of sync. I desire to return to a vibrant prayer life and a spirit-filled commitment to You and Your ways. Thank you for never changing and never leaving me. Help me not to get distracted and busy with the cares of this world, but to return to You with a heart aligned with Yours. Thank you for Your love, grace, and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.