Never Too Far
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 (NIV)
Have you ever looked back at your choices and thought, I have gone too far this time? Shame has a way of keeping us quiet and distant, like we do not deserve to be seen or heard. Maybe we feel stuck, worn out, and unsure how to start over. Thankfully, our loving Father does not have a boundary line that excludes us from returning to Him.
Jesus told the prodigal son story in Luke 15. When the son finally turned back, the father “saw him and was filled with compassion” and ran to him. God is like that—He meets us on our detour road, not after we have all our little duckies in a row. His welcome is stronger than our worst chapter. When we’re ready to take just one honest step, we’ll discover that we are not walking alone. Romans 8:1 reminds us there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
We tend to condemn ourselves and let others criticize us. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy and we allow others to trample our boundaries. Our loving Shepherd will never do that! There is this thing called unconditional love. We can’t seem to grasp that concept in our minds, yet He continues to pour it out upon us daily.
He loves us even when we cannot love ourselves. He never gives up on us! What a reassuring thought.
Let His limitless love steady you today, and ask Him to restore what you feel you’ve wasted. And as you receive that grace, perhaps you can cut off a small piece of it and share it with someone else.
Loving Lord, thank You for Your unconditional love. We can’t quite realize the depth of that but You continually show us every day. Please help us to recognize Your Presence and tell others about it. AMEN.
Inspired by Pray.com