Read: Luke 15:11-32
His father saw him and felt compassion. (v. 20)
There are two swivel chairs by my window. I can turn one way to watch TV, or I can turn another way and see the sunset.
James Bryant Smith in his book, The Good and Beautiful God, suggests that we often believe a false narrative about God; we see him as one who sits in a swivel chair. He looks at us with love when we obey him. But when we disappoint him, he swivels away from us. This is a false narrative. It states that God’s love is conditional depending on our behavior. Do you picture God this way?
In our passage today, we see that God’s love is not conditional. The father could have forsaken his son after he left with his inheritance. But instead, he continued looking for him. He didn’t turn his face away like some swivel-chair God. When the younger son returned sorrowful for his sin, the father was not waiting to punish him when he saw him. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (v. 20). Jesus used this parable to show that God loves us even when we sin.
His love for us does not change. As the father welcomed his son home and showered him with love before he even repented, God our Father welcomes us into his loving arms the same way. Believe this in your heart: you are loved!
As you pray, embrace the truth of God’s love for you.
About the Author
Nancy Boote
Nancy Boote, an ordained minister in the Reformed Church of America, lives in Holland, Michigan, with her husband. Besides being a mother, a grandmother, a song writer, and lover of horses, Nancy also has a heart for prayer and seeing racism dismantled.
