Running, But Never Alone

Reflections on Chapter 1 of The Flip Side

When I first sat down to write The Flip Side, I had no idea how much I would be the one ministered to. Chapter 1, “On The Run,” tells the imagined story of Onesimus—the runaway slave Paul mentions in his letter to Philemon. While history barely gives him a few verses, his journey spoke volumes to me about identity, freedom, fear, and most of all, grace.

In many ways, I saw myself in Onesimus.

No, I’ve never physically run hundreds of miles through dangerous terrain, but spiritually? Emotionally? I’ve run more times than I can count. I’ve run from responsibilities. From rejection. From confrontation. From healing. From the truth God was trying to reveal to me.

But what struck me most while writing this chapter was how clear it became: running might change your location, but it doesn’t change your condition. Onesimus may have gotten away from his master, but he couldn’t escape the weight of his past. He still had to look over his shoulder. He still felt the sting of shame. And even in freedom, he was still bound.

Isn’t that what so many of us do? We change jobs, relationships, churches, cities—believing that new surroundings will fix old wounds. But God doesn’t just want to move us. He wants to transform us.

That’s what happened when Onesimus met Paul. Not only did he meet a man who saw beyond his label—runaway, thief, property—but he encountered the God who could redefine his story.

Writing this chapter reminded me that there is a version of me that only God sees: one that isn’t chained to past decisions or trapped by old identities. Like Onesimus, I had to confront the truth that true freedom requires going back—facing what we tried to escape. And more than that, it requires surrender.

Paul didn’t just disciple Onesimus; he advocated for him. He sent him back not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.

How many of us are afraid to go back because we think it means returning to bondage? But what if going back—when God sends us—is the very thing that sets us free?

That chapter still stirs me. It reminds me that running never disqualifies us from grace. That even when we’ve run from God, He always provides someone—like Paul—to help guide us back to Him. And more importantly, He receives us not as outcasts but as sons and daughters.

So, if you’re reading this and feel like you’re on the run—from God, from your past, or even from yourself—I want you to know: God sees you. He hasn’t given up on you. And just like Onesimus, He has a plan to turn your story around.

You don’t have to stay on the run. There's grace waiting at your next stop.