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 repentance. And in that moment, I saw so clearly the heart of God toward us.

 

So often, we find ourselves in similar places. We disobey. We drift. Sometimes we walk away knowingly, and other times we feel lost, unsure of how we got so far from where we started. There are moments when we feel abandoned or alone, when God feels distant and silent. Yet the truth is this: our Heavenly Father never stopped waiting for us to come home. 

 

The story of the prodigal son is not just a lesson about human failure; it is a revelation of divine love. From the very beginning—when humanity first sinned—God set into motion a plan for our return. Every step of redemption points back to His desire to bring us home. Ultimately, that love was made unmistakably clear through the sacrifice of His own Son, given as an atonement for our sin so that the way back would always be open.

 

This is worth pausing to reflect on.

 

Love is something we endlessly chase as humans. We look for it in our workplaces, in relationships, in achievements, in the things we buy, and in the circles we belong to. We hope that the next milestone or connection will finally make us feel seen and secure. But the truth is, we already have love—an undying, unending love—from the One who made us, knows us, and stays with us even when we feel most alone.

 

God’s love is not abstract. It is real and active. It shows up as forgiveness when we expect rejection. As mercy when we deserve punishment. As companionship when we walk through fire and celebration when we stand on mountaintops. It is the quiet whisper that guides us when we don’t know which way to go, and the firm restraint that withholds what we desire when God knows it will only lead to pain – for that I am grateful.

 

This is the love that waits for us.

 

So today, I want to invite you to pause. To stop running after love in all the wrong places. To turn around, just as the prodigal son did, and return to the embrace of a Father whose arms are always open. Let us not fixate on our failures or selfishness, mistakes, or poor choices. Instead, let us fix our eyes on our heavenly Father, who never stopped loving us. 

 

A Father whose love is so great that home is always available to come back to.

 

My prayer is that through your days and nights, through your weeks and seasons, you would feel the love of our Heavenly Father. And when loneliness creeps in, may you remember that there is always someone you can turn back to. 

 

God loves you deeply—and He is always calling you home.

 

Read: Luke 15:11-32