Ep. 8: The Father Who Runs

With Father’s Day coming up, I’ve been thinking about fathers—not just the dads in our lives, but the picture of God as Father.

And honestly, one thing I’ve noticed about myself is that when I mess up, my instinct is usually to pull away.

Maybe you can relate.

When I feel like I’ve fallen short—as a mom, a wife, a leader, a believer—I tend to think, “Let me get myself together first, and then I’ll come back to God.”

But that’s not actually how Jesus describes the Father.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son. Most of us know it. The son has made a mess of everything and finally decides to go home. He’s rehearsing his speech, preparing for disappointment, maybe even rejection.

But before he can get a word out, Jesus says:

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son…”

Luke 15:20

And every time I read that, I stop at that word: ran.

The father didn’t wait for the son to get all the way home.

He didn’t wait for the apology.

He didn’t wait for proof that he’d changed.

He saw him coming and ran toward him.

As a parent, I get that. If one of my kids was gone and finally coming home, I’m not standing on the porch acting tough. I’m moving toward them.

And that’s the picture Jesus gives us of God.

Not a Father who’s keeping score.

Not a Father who’s waiting for us to earn our way back.

A Father who’s looking for us and moving toward us.

So here’s my pulse check for all of us today:

Where have you been keeping your distance from God because you assume He’s disappointed in you?

Because if Luke 15 teaches us anything, it’s that God’s first response isn’t to push us away.

It’s to run toward us.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY from Altrua Ministries

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