In the story of the prodigal son, the wayward son who came home didn’t just kind of blow it. He really blew it. He had become a total, absolute mess of a human being. He wasn’t just partying. He had taken his dad’s hard-earned money and squandered it on prostitutes! He was really a complete mess. And I don’t think he came home because he was deeply sorry. He came home because he was hungry.
Even still, that was enough for the father to run to him and put the finest robe on him, which was a symbol of royalty. He put a ring on his son’s finger, which was a sign of authority in the family, and sandals on his feet because a slave was barefoot but a son wore shoes.
When we come to our Heavenly Father, we feel like a total mess sometimes. How does he love us? Like that father loved the prodigal son. We don’t need to get our acts together before we go running back to God. Just go to Him because you’re hungry for real food, and that’s enough. That’s where the spiritual life begins, in all our messiness.
