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Jesus once told a story about a family that owned a big piece of land. The younger son decided he didn’t want to wait around or take care of the family business anymore. He wanted his inheritance right then. So, his dad gave it to him, and the boy took off for a faraway city.

It didn’t take long for things to go completely wrong. He spent every dollar he had on wild living. Then, a massive food shortage hit the country. The boy ended up broke, starving, and working a brutal job feeding pigs. He was so hungry he wished he could eat the muddy scraps he was throwing into the pig pen.

Finally, he realized he had hit rock bottom. He thought, "Even the hired hands back on my dad's land eat better than this. I’ll go home. I’ll tell him I messed up big time. I’ll ask him to just let me be a worker, because I don't deserve to be his son anymore."

He started the long, dusty walk home, probably rehearsing his apology over and over in his head.

But look at what Jesus says happens next:

Luke 15:20 (CEV) "While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him."

Think about that view from the porch. The dad wasn’t sitting inside, waiting for the boy to crawl to the front door and beg. He was watching the horizon. And the second he saw a familiar silhouette walking with a limp, the dad didn't walk—he ran. In that culture, older men didn't run. It wasn't dignified. But this dad didn't care about dignity; he cared about rescue.

Before the boy could even finish his rehearsed apology, he was wrapped in a hug, covered in a clean coat, and welcomed right back into the center of the family.

God’s love for you isn’t a patient, quiet waiting. It isn't a lecture about how you should have known better. It is a reckless, relentless, running-to-meet-you love. No matter how deep the mud is that you’ve been standing in, the moment you turn around, you find out you already belong.

A Simple Conversation with God: God, sometimes I feel like I have to fix my own mess before I can come back to You. Thank You for not waiting for me to get it all right. Thank You for running to meet me right where I am. Today, I specifically want to talk to You about...

Need to talk? You don't have to figure it all out alone. Text Pastor Vic at 509-919-1897 if you'd like to chat or need a book to help with your next steps.