So the son left and went to his father. While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him and hugged and kissed him. The son said, "Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get our fat calf and kill it so we can have a feast and celebrate. My son was dead, but now his is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found.!"
You think you understand my love. But I wonder.
Do you know just how much I love to be with you? Do you know
how much I miss you when you're gone? You can turn your back
on me and walk away; I will wait for you. You can move to a
foreign country; I'll watch the road for your return. You can
ignore my wishes and wander from my ways. You can make the wrong
choices and listen to the wrong voices and waste every treasure
I've placed in your hands. Still my ear will listen for your
knock on the door.
Is it you? I will wonder, and my heart will leap. Is it my child
at last? And on that day; when I see you from a long way off,
weary and broken and headed for home, I will rush out to meet
you. I'll cover your shame with a cloak of righteousness. I'll
cook a meal and call my friends and plan a celebration. And as
I look into your face, which is so dear to me, tears will fill
my eyes and I will say, "My child was lost, but now is found!
My child was dead, but now is alive again!"
With open arms,
God