My phone rang last
Monday and it was my husband Dan. His
question made me shudder as he asked, “Are you sitting down?” I’m
smart enough to know that those words are often asked when there is some bad news
to share. When I told him that I wasn’t
sitting down, he told me that I needed to be.
In those few seconds,
all kinds of scenarios went through my mind and when he proceeded to tell me
that Erica, our oldest daughter who lives in NC, had just called him, many new
possibilities flooded my head. Was she
sick? Was she hurt? Had something happened to one of her friends
or the family with whom she nannies?
Yes, believe it or not, all those negative thoughts can pass through my
mind in a matter of moments.
You can then imagine
my relief when Dan went on to share with me that the big news was that Erica
was coming home for Thanksgiving. She
rarely does for this holiday because she doesn’t have much time off from work,
so we always know that we have to wait for Christmas to see her again. But she had just been told that morning that
she would have a few extra hours off this year and so she decided that as soon
as she was done working on Wednesday, she would hit the road and drive home. She would only be able to stay for three
days, but we would take whatever time we could get with her.
I then did what any
stable, well-balanced mother would do…I started crying. A flood of emotions poured through my being
and I went from being scared of what I might hear, to being thrilled with what
I did hear. Oh how this mama missed her
first-born child and hearing that she would soon be with us was such welcome
news.
As I have thought
about my reaction to this news, my mind went to the parable of the prodigal son
in Luke 15:11-32. The details were
different in our stories, because the child in this parable returned home after
he had disappeared and blown all of his inheritance. His father had no clue where he was or what
he had been doing. Jesus’ story didn’t say that the father had the luxury of
receiving a phone call ahead of time to let him know that his child was on his
way, so he was surprised when he saw him on the horizon walking towards home.
But the father’s reaction was similar to mine…but even kicked up a notch. He was overwhelmed with emotion, threw his
arms around his beloved son and kissed him.
All the past pain that this son had caused his father had been forgiven,
and he was overjoyed to have him back home.
What must our Heavenly
Father’s reaction be like then when one of His children decides to come “back
home”? How must He feel when one who was
once a follower, but has turned his or her back on Him, realizes the error of
their ways and returns? I believe His
reaction is similar to the father of the prodigal son…but even kicked up a
notch. If He turned away…if He wasn’t
willing to forgive and forget…the outcome would be disastrous. But instead, our Heavenly Father welcomes the
wayward one back with open arms, accepting His dear one’s confession of
wrongdoing and washes them white as snow once again.
I can’t help but
wonder today if someone reading this devotional can relate with this
scenario. Maybe you have made decisions
in your life that have caused you to fall away from your walk with your
Heavenly Father. I can guarantee you
that He isn’t the one who has moved and He is patiently waiting for you to come
home. Whatever you have done or wherever
you have been, He is willing to forgive and will welcome you back with open
arms.
Maybe you have never
accepted my Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
The same is true for you as it is for the prodigal one because there is
nothing you have done that can’t be forgiven by this One who loves you so. His reaction to your desire to make Him your
Lord and Savior will be similar to the prodigal one…but even kicked up a notch. Because the Heavenly Father’s reaction has an
eternal consequence. Your decision to
accept Him means that you will spend eternity with your Jesus and there is
nothing that makes Him happier than to welcome a new child into His
family. God wants you to be blown away
by how much He loves you so He is willing to do whatever it takes to have a
relationship with you. Why not accept
Him today? I think you will be amazed at
His over-the-top reaction!
“If a man has a hundred sheep and
one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others
in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his
shoulders. When he arrives, he
will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because
I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner
who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous
and haven’t strayed away!” Luke 15:4-7
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