The story of the prodigal son is a beautiful depiction of the Fatherly love of God.
As humans, we tend to skew the definition of love because we can only comprehend it in human terms. But God is not limited by our human capacity to love. His love is infinite, which is why we should base our definition of love on God, and not base God on our human definition of love.
In this story, the Father’s love is expressed in an unconventional way; the Father lets his son go.
When we first see what the Father does, by allowing his son to take advantage of him and run off, he does nothing, and that’s a bit confusing. Why does he let his son treat him so poorly, essentially saying his father is dead to him by asking for his inheritance while he is still alive.
This represents the relationship we sometimes have with God. We don’t really care about the relationship, just what we can get from it. Of course, God is good, and He will still give when we ask, but we are essentially taking advantage of God when we only seek Him in our times of need.
So then the son goes out and lives in rebellion, seeking worldly pleasures, but very quickly those things go away, and what his father has given him is long gone, and he hits his low point, eating food from the pig troughs.
So if the Father knew this is what would happen to the son, why did he let him leave?
Because love is strongest when we choose into it.
The Father cannot force the Son to love him. That is not true love. Sometimes we have to hit our low to see the love that we had all along. It’s painful for the Father, but in the end, their love is stronger because of it.
The Father’s love never goes away, even when the son rejects it. He lets his son reject him, but this does not change his love for the son. No matter how much we try to push God away, no matter how much it hurts him to see us suffer in rebellion, he cannot and will not force us to come back to him. He may come and seek us out and meet us halfway, like the lost sheep, but loving Him is something we must choose.
So there the Father is, watching his son return home after suffering greatly in the world on his own. He knows he doesn’t need a lecture or a guilt trip. He just needs someone to comfort him and care for him, so that’s exactly what he does.
God knows the depth of the human heart. He knows that we are prone to wander, so He rejoices when we return from our wandering to seek His face again.
But what makes us want to come back?
It is because of His kindness! It is His KINDNESS that draws us to repentance.
The son knew he treated those who worked for him with kindness, and he came home because he knew he would be treated well. The same is true with God!
God's love for us is so IMMENSE, far beyond what we can comprehend. He just wants us to be near to Him, and to walk with Him through this life. There are times when we walk away from Him instead of towards Him, but God is with us, celebrating every little victory in our lives that draws us closer to Him.
This is what it means to be free in Christ. No matter what we do wrong or how we fall short, we are always free tom come home, because God's kindness never runs out. Nothing we do can disqualify us from the love God has for us.
God, help me to seek you in all seasons. Forgive me for the times I have strayed from you, and I praise you for always taking me back with open arms. Your love never fails, even when I do. Thank you for being steadfast in the chaos of an ever-changing world, and for loving me through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and sparing no expense to celebrate when my weary heart wanders back to you.
Amen
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