He Ran
“So he got up and went to his father. 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)
Two details would have stunned the first listeners. The father saw him a long way off, which means he had been watching the road, probably for years. And he ran. A landowner of that age and standing did not run in public. He would have had to gather up his robe and expose his legs, which was humiliating. He took the shame himself so his son would not walk through the village alone.
You do not need the right words before you come back. The son had a speech ready and never got to finish it. His father ran to him first and did not negotiate anything. You can start talking to God today without a script.
Come Back Before You Are Ready
- 1Say the thing you have been rehearsing to God, badly and unfinished. Do not tidy it first.
- 2Reach out to one person you have been avoiding. One sentence is enough today.
Father, I do not have the words yet. Take me as I am.
I can come back before I find the right words.
Why is the father running significant?
An older landowner running in public was undignified. He had to lift his robe and expose his legs, taking on shame the culture would have aimed at his son.
Did the son finish his prepared speech?
No. The father interrupted before the part where he offered to become a hired servant. The embrace came before any negotiation.
What does a long way off suggest?
That the father had been watching the road. The seeing was not chance; it was the result of long waiting.