Arms Wide Open: Returning to the Father’s Love
During one of our family devotions, my daughter asked us to read the story of the prodigal son together. She read the passage and then, as families often do, we paused to share what stood out to each of us. This is one Bible story that is rich with meaning—disobedience, pride, repentance, forgiveness—but, as we discussed, one truth rose above the rest for me: the depth of the father’s love . I found myself reflecting not on the son’s rebellion, but on the father’s heart. The son squandered his inheritance, walked away from home, and made choices that led him into hunger and shame. Yet when he returned, broken and uncertain, the father did not interrogate him or rehearse his failures. Instead, he ran toward him with open arms. He wrapped his arms around him. He restored him to his rightful position as a son. That image stayed with me—the father’s embrace. An embrace that overlooked faults. An embrace that welcomed home a son who had nothing left to offer except repen...