“But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him… and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

The father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son was looking for his lost child the entire time the young man was away. He wasn’t sitting inside, nursing a grievance or waiting for an apology to slide under the door. This is the posture of our God—always watching, always waiting, and always desiring our return.

Notice that the father did not wait for the son to close the gap. He could have stood his ground to make a point. Instead, the moment he saw him, he made no effort to conceal his overwhelming love and joy. He bridged the distance himself, refusing to let his son walk that last mile home by himself.

Whatever distance we feel between us and God in our hearts, we can rest in the knowledge that He is not waiting for us to be perfect before He embraces us. He is not holding back to teach us a lesson. The moment we make the slightest turn toward Him, He is already running toward us, ready to greet us not with a lecture, but with a kiss. We are loved, we are missed, and we are welcome home.