Once someone dear to me asked why I take religion and the Bible seriously. I thought for a moment, considering my words carefully. Then I responded that the parable of the prodigal son presented an image of the Divine I could not walk away from. For me, the idea that there’s a loving God whose eyes are longing to see me walking home to Him is perhaps the most profound portions of scripture. Even as I write this article, tears spring to my eyes.
Now, we all know this story. A young man goes to his father and asks for his inheritance. Thereafter, he goes to a far country and wastes all the money on, shall we say, ‘earthly pleasures.’ A famine comes to the land and he’s stuck feeding swine. He comes to his senses and decides to go home and beg for a job working for his father. Then Luke says, “But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” While other portions of this parable may be equally compelling, this part speaks to my soul.
Now let’s be clear: we’ve all gone to a far country from time to time. We may not squander a fortune or even leave our homes, yet we drift away from the Father just as surely as the prodigal son of long ago. We all do this in countless small ways, neglecting our prayer life, carrying a grudge against a friend or neighbor, becoming so busy that we worship at our calendars rather than altars. Yet, those Beloved Eyes still seek us out.
There’s a Christian artist named Geoff Moore who sings a song entitled, “Come As You Are”. (I discovered this piece on my Pandora feed!) The song encourages prodigals all to “come as you are,” bringing their joys, fears, doubts and sin. A portion of the chorus says, “When the Father sees you he will run, no matter how far. Come as you are.”
At times, it’s difficult to feel the love of God. Sometimes you and I forget that—as Geoff Moore’s song puts it—we are all prodigal daughters and sons. Still, he calls each of us to His side: to laugh, to cry, to ask, to live in His presence! This requires humility—something we’re not very good at. Still, He stands on a never-ending road with longing eyes and says,
Come as you are.