Common Sense Reborn

June 18

²⁰So 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, The Jesus Bible)

Happy Father’s Day everyone!  I am sharing the verse above from the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which can be found in Luke Chapter 15.  It is a wonderful story told by Jesus that teaches us many lessons.  From the Prodigal Son who runs away from his father’s legacy and squanders his inheritance on sinful living, to the wiser son’s frustration of his father’s treatment of his foolish brother.  It was not until I became a father myself that I realized the story is really about the father.  The story is a parable to teach us the depth of our Heavenly Father’s love.  It has served as a model of the love and purpose I will always have for my children.  To provide for them, to build a legacy for them, and to always be there for them, no matter what mistakes they may make in life.

That is the example my earthly father has always set for me and my sister.  He has helped us both throughout our lives, and now we get to see him truly thrive as a loving “PaPa” to his grandkids.  

The example that Jesus teaches us of how much our Heavenly Father adores us is taught throughout the entire Bible, but, unfortunately, we do not focus on the love of God, but more of the fear and rules that God set forth.  Any good Father, and parent-for that matter, will set rules over their household.  God gave us ten rules to live by long, long ago, and then He fulfilled His ultimate plan to redeem mankind, by sending His only Son to live among us, to demonstrate that living a sinless life was attainable, and to pave the way to teach us the final truths in loving others.  Now, of course, most of us follow the way of the Prodigal, and seek the earthly pleasures of sin over the legacy God has left for us all along.  The brave few find their way back to the Father, but for many, we find ourselves trapped with the pigs.

Unfortunately, for those wallowing around in the pigs trough, they someday have children of their own, and those children never experience anything close to what a Father’s love and care should be.  That is what breaks my heart most about Father’s Day.  For too many out there, Father’s Day means nothing for them because of how bad their earthly fathers treated them.  Well, if you are one of those poor souls, please know that what you experience was not what God intended when He created the miracle of life.  That was not the example He set forth, not the example that God has made known to the world for thousands of years with the truth’s in the Holy Bible.  God sees you.  God knows your pain and the hurt this day brings you.  And God loves you. He adores you. He wants you to thrive in this world, to be happy, to love and be loved.  God wants you to run to Him, because He’s been running after you your entire life.