Hello Son

"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

And from a long way off, he saw him. He leapt off the porch and ran to greet him. His lost son was making his way home. What a glorious sight, he was coming home. This is how God feels about you and me. Whether we wander by choice or by circumstance, He waits, looking and searching for our presence on the road home.

Our son was born on September 7, 1989. It was 6 a.m. What a day! How glorious was God’s blessing. In some ways it seems that our son had been running away since his birth date. Of course, we didn’t know or recognize that he was running. We had a wonderful, blessed life with this son that included the normal ups and downs of child rearing. It is after all not for the weak of heart! So he grew and grew and ran and ran.

Days went by, even years, and before we knew it this son of ours was 20 years old. And yes, he was still running. Relationships were existing but damaged, painful, shallow and remote.

Then the miracle, we see him coming home from a long way off. He’s beaten, bedraggled, wounded, in pain, caught, and scared…..just like his dad, his sister and me. Could it be? Could it be our boy we see coming home?

This boy is different. His eyes are alive. His spirit seems full of hope. It’s as though he is a stranger to us. We talk, we laugh, we use words of love and encouragement, we share life stories, and we work through difficult decisions. He smiles a lot now. He shares his heart, his dreams, his pain, and his journey.

After 21 years, he’s home. It’s almost more than my heart can take…Hello son, it’s so nice to meet you.