Today's Word
Luke 15:20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
Reflection
In the story of the returning son, the scene we pause on most is the father's side. While the son was still far off, the father saw him first. He had been watching that road every day, so he recognized him even at a distance. Waiting was not a frozen stance but a gaze that had stayed turned toward him all along.
The father did not keep his dignity and wait for the son to approach. He ran, embraced his neck, and kissed him. Compassion outpaced any concern for appearances. The excuse the returning one had prepared cannot even be finished before that embrace.
Having a place to return to is a deep comfort. Consider quietly today whether you could wait for someone's return like that, or whether there is a place you yourself need to go back to.
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