I’m a tad obsessed with Billy Graham. His humility and simplicity. His love for people and Jesus. Though he’s with His Savior now, Graham’s messages are evergreen and never stray from the path to real, abundant life. Jesus. Always Jesus.
Yes, I’m smitten. Now, even more as I hear his children’s stories.
Ruth tells about a time in her life after a messy divorce. She dated a man her children didn’t like and her parent’s cautioned her to slow down. Describing herself as “stubborn, willful, and sinful,” she ignored their advice and married him. She realized her mistake right away. Afraid of him, she left three weeks later.
On her two-day drive home, she wondered how to tell her father. Can you imagine how shame probably harassed her?
What a failure. You’re an embarrassment.
Rounding the corner to her parents’ yard, Ruth saw him waiting for her.
A bit reluctant, she stepped out of the car. Her daddy wrapped his arms tight around her. “Welcome home.”
No lecture. No shame or blame or condemnation.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells us that God runs to us with wide-open arms and kisses, with compassion and celebration plans, especially when we return from being “stubborn, willful, and sinful.”
Yep, I’ve been there.
But nothing can separate us from this relentless love. It shows us we’re treasured and valued beyond measure. We’re worth pursuing. Every single time.
When’s the last time you really thought about this unconditional love that doesn’t give up on you? It directs and corrects but it never condemns. The character defects of our earthly father do not exist in our Heavenly Father.
So, let’s focus on that. Understanding and experiencing God’s love. It’s a bit like going to a waterfall to fill a teacup. So much overflow to soak in, but with daily practice, it’ll get from our head to our heart.
God is patient and very pleased that we seek him. He is our good Father. And I’m a sap for good daddy stories.
That day in the driveway, Ruth Graham saw what her daddy spent his life telling the world: “My father was not God, but he showed me what God was like … When we come to God with our sin, our brokenness, our failure, our pain, and our hurt, God says, ‘Welcome home.'”
My friend, our Father not only waits for us to return to him, he runs to us and meets us right in the middle of our messes. Let’s soak in this forgiveness and unconditional love.
“May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand … how wide, how long, how high, how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” ~ Ephesians 3:18-19
Photo borrowed from Pixabay.com
This is just what I needed today Robin. Thank you. I love the line about assigning defects of our earthly father to our Heavenly Father. I do that, but never thought of it this way. I’ve never heard anyone say this before, but now I see that I do that very thing.
Hi Sandi! I’m happy to hear you are seeing something new. I pray you won’t feel burdened by it. Take it in as information, higher awareness, that empowers you to know and trust God’s love more. I’m excited for you. The more I seek to know Him, the more I realize my how much my “daddy issues” get in the way. We are on the same journey.