un Worthy

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son." Luke 15: 18-19

The story of the Prodigal Son (or the Loving Father, however you wish to read and name it) is one of the greatest stories in the grand scope of literature. What makes it great, is that it is really our story, isn't it? The son essentially tells his Dad that he wishes that he were dead. He is leaving and the father better well give his inheritance NOW. Graciously, the father does let his son choose his own path, gives him the money, and lets him go. The son goes on to blow all of his money on wild and sinful living, only to be found homeless, penniless, and without friends and family taking up residence in a pig sty. The son hit rock bottom, realized what a huge mistake he made, and decided that home with Dad wasn't so bad after all. He dusted himself off, humbled and penitent, hoping just to get a job on his Dad's farm.

The above scripture is the reunion scene - and it tells us a lot about God, and a lot about what our response to God ought to be.

The Father (representing God) saw his son approaching the homestead, even though he was a long way off - that meant the father never stopped looking and longing for his son to return. When he saw him, he ran towards him and tackled him down in a flurry of love hugs and kisses - the father didn't force his son to take the walk of shame up the laneway, he, overjoyed at his return, ran to him and showed him how much he loved him and missed him. Through his actions, the father clearly welcomed his son back like he had never left. The great love of the father for his lost and returned son forgave and reinstated in one huge embrace.

God misses us. Many of us have run away from God, and He legitimately misses us. His love for us is so great, that He is actively looking for us, and longing for us to return home to him. And when we do, He will absolutely run to us, embrace us and welcome us home. The pain of what we did, gets swallowed up in His fierce love.

And what of the son...He doesn't take the love and acceptance of his father for granted. Even though his father obviously welcomes him back, and is clearly delighted that he is home - the son realizes that he does not deserve to be there. He still goes through with the speech that he had planned, confessing his sin to his father. He recognizes that his father's response is not only unexpected, it is undeserved as a result of the way that he treated him. He confesses the reality that he was no longer worthy to be called a son anymore.

We, ran away from God's home. We turned our back on His love and care, and went off to go it on our own. The reality is that none of us are worthy to be welcomed back into the family of God. Our sin and disobedience ought to preclude us from ever setting foot there again.

Thankfully, God's outrageous love for us makes us worthy and grants us sonship.

In light of this story, I wonder how often we forget our unworthiness before God's great love. I wonder how often we forget that we really have no right to be here - in fact we still deserve to be in the pig sty.

May we never feel entitled to the love of God, or take His mercy for granted.

Be God's, Scott