While He Was Still a Long Way Off

This week, as I was journaling, I found myself reflecting on the story of the prodigal son. It's a familiar story, one I've read many times over the years. But this time, one phrase seemed to jump off the page:

"While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son..." (Luke 15:20)

I couldn't stop thinking about those words: while he was still a long way off.

The son hadn't made it home yet. He hadn't finished his apology. He hadn't proven his sincerity. He was simply turning toward home.

And while he was still a long way off, the father ran.

That was the part that caught my attention. The father didn't wait for him to arrive. He didn't wait for an explanation. He didn't wait for proof that the son had changed. He saw him. He was filled with compassion for him. And he ran to him.

As I sat quietly with God, I found myself wondering if that's what He wanted me to see. Not just the son's return, but the Father's response.

If I'm honest, what keeps me from returning to God isn't usually distraction. It's shame. It's the quiet feeling that I should be further along by now. It's wondering why I still struggle with some of the same things. It's questioning whether God could really be as patient, loving, and welcoming as Scripture says He is.

Maybe you've experienced that too.

Shame has a way of convincing us that God is disappointed in us. It whispers that we should know better by now. It tells us we've wandered too many times, failed too many times, and exhausted God's patience. It convinces us that we need to get our lives together before we come back to Him.

But Scripture tells a different story.

"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

The enemy doesn't need us to stop believing in God. He simply wants us to believe that God is tired of us. That we've failed too many times. That we're no longer welcome.

Yet when Jesus wanted to describe the heart of the Father, He told the story of a father who ran.

He could have described a father standing on the porch waiting for an apology. He could have described a father demanding an explanation. He could have described a father withholding forgiveness until trust had been rebuilt.

Instead, Jesus describes a father who sees his son from a distance, is filled with compassion, and runs toward him.

The father moves first.

Before the apology.

Before the explanation.

Before the son reaches home.

The father runs.

What a beautiful picture of God's heart.

This same heart is revealed throughout Scripture.

Psalm 103:8 tells us, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." 

Isaiah 44:22 records God's invitation: "Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." 

And James 4:8 reminds us, "Come near to God and He will come near to you."

The older I get, the more I realize that spiritual growth is not about never wandering. It's about learning to return.

Again and again.

The good news of the Gospel is not that we always get it right. The good news is that God welcomes us home.

No matter how distracted we've become.

No matter how far we've wandered.

No matter what shame may be whispering.

His invitation remains the same:

Return.

And when we do, we'll discover He has been watching for us all along.

While we were still a long way off, He saw us.

And through Christ, He came running toward us.

More of Him,

Donna