The Parable of the Lost Son

Church was really good today!!! Do I say that every Sunday? Because I feel like I do! :) For good reason!
We are starting another series called "Decoding Our DNA" and this week we learned about the characteristics of God. We learned that he loves you unconditionally. The sermon was taken from Luke 15. The Parable of the Lost Son. It's about a son. The younger of two boys goes to his Father and ask for his share of the estate. So the dad did just that and divided his property between them. The son gathers his belongings and sets off. Not long after he's gone he "squanders his wealth in wild living" and notices that he no longer has anything. He hires himself out to work with pigs and slop living worse than his Father's own servants did. He decides to go home and to tell his father of his wrong doing and to tell him he has sinned and is no longer worthy to be called his son. His father had been awaiting his return. When he saw him from afar he took of running towards his son showering him in hugs and kisses. As his son began to apologize his father quickly cuts him off and calls for a celebration of his return saying, "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again he was lost and is now found."

I took that message to heart in several ways. It took me back to my childhood and teenage years and all the heartache I put my parents through. And even though at times they had to show me "tough love" when I was ready to come crawling back they welcomed me with open arms and no resentment. It opened my eyes to how I want to be when parenting. It probably took everything that father had to give his son half his wealth and to watch him lose everything he had. And at times I'm probably as a parent going to have to step back and let "life" teach my son a lesson or two and know that I need to just be waiting in the wings to give my son a big hug and kiss when he comes back with a heavy heart. And most of all it taught me God's unconditional love he has for each one of us. He does not look at your past and judge you when you come crawling back on your knees. He welcomes you with love and a showering of celebration.

This was a quote I took today from one of our songs that I really liked, "His grace reaches lower than your worst mistake & his love will run further than you can run."