Word of the Father · Day 130/366
The Father Ran to Meet You
“But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20
Notice this detail carefully: the father in the story saw his son while he was still far off. That means he was watching the road, waiting, every single day, not knowing if that son would ever come back. And when he finally saw the silhouette in the distance, he didn't wait for his son to arrive dragging his rehearsed apology behind him. He ran.
I am that Father. I have already seen you from far away, with clothes still soiled from the life you lived away from home, with your speech of repentance rehearsed along the way. And before you finished speaking, I already had my arms around your neck. There was no lecture first. There was an embrace first.
The son had a speech ready about no longer being worthy to be called a son. The father didn't even let him finish saying it. If you're coming home today carrying stored-up shame, put the speech away. I've already seen you from far off, and I am already running.