LOST

Luke 15:24 – Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was LOST and is found! And they began to revel and feast and make merry.

You're going to think I'm a terrible mother but I'm going to tell you this story anyway. When my firstborn child was two years old I took him shopping with me to the Mall. He entertained himself playing under the rack of clothing that I was diligently looking through. A few seconds later I peeked through the rack to check on him and guess what – he was gone! At that moment I had a wave of terror and nausea come over me that I will never forget. I frantically scanned the floor looking for his two precious little feet but to no avail. I darted through the racks now not caring what I looked like or what the other shoppers thought. Within probably ten seconds I spotted my son running carefree and playing, so I ran to him and scooped him us as if he had been missing for years.

The father in the story penned in the book of Luke watched his son leave with his share of the inheritance, not knowing if he would ever see him again. The son was happy and playing and having a blast, oblivious to the father's pain. The passage doesn't say how long the boy was gone, but it was long enough for him to blow a small fortune and end up as a hired hand on a pig farm, so hungry that he ate the pig's scraps. So long that the father thought he was dead. It's amazing how clear our perspective becomes in the mud. The son realizes what he has done and knows now that his only way of survival is to humble himself and go back to his father.

I think you have caught on by now that the father in this story represents our Heavenly Father and we are the wayward son. Our pigpens are different but our spiritual poverty is the same nonetheless. Our only hope for survival is to recognize our impoverished state and run back home into the Father's arms.

When I found my son in the store that day part of me wanted to punish him for giving me such a scare and for leaving my side, but my joy at finding him far outweighed that temptation. I knew that he was oblivious to the danger surrounding him and was too immature to know any better. When our Father sees us come to him with a sincere and repentant heart His first response is always joy – joy to the point of "lets throw a party and celebrate" as scripture tells us. Don't ever let pride or fear keep you in the mud when there's a royal feast awaiting your return. Trust me, He will be overjoyed to have you back in his arms!