Episode #35 - When God Ran

Is there anything like seeing your little boy or girl yell your name as they run into your arms? That's exactly what my daughter did today when she came to visit me working at one of the coffeeshops in town. It was precious and needed. We had a rough day yesterday, and such a gesture reaffirmed our love. Well...some of you listening in might think that because of things you've done, God could not possibly want you back. But you're wrong. It doesn't matter what you've done, he wants you to come home. And when you do, he will run to embrace you. 

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Transcript

Welcome to the Set Your Mind Above podcast, where every day, ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths! I am your host BJ Sipe, and I’m so glad you’ve tuned in today! I am excited to share my life & my faith with you, and I sure hope you’ll do the same with me along the way.

Every now and then, you just have those moments that remind you of how incredibly blessed you are to have the family that you do in your life. Today has been one of those days for my wife and I regarding our children. This morning we woke up and I was getting ready for work while Kylie was making breakfast fort he kids. Ava & Dane had pulled an empty laundry basket over by the kitchen window, turned it upside down, and were just sitting on top of it looking out at the birds. Kylie snapped the cutest picture of Ava with her arm around Dane, when she turns and says to him, “I love you Dane, we’re best friends.” Talk about melting your heart as a parent – it was such a precious moment. Well, I said my goodbyes and ran out the door to go study at our local Starbucks. Hours later around lunch time I got a call from my wife asking if I would like for her to bring me some lunch and swing the kids by to say hi, and of course I said yes please! After a while I looked up from my screen to see my family walking through the doors. I stepped out from behind my table and waited for them to walk up, and that’s when it happened. Ava turned the corner and caught sight of me, and at the top of her lungs yells, “DADDY!” and comes running full speed into my arms and wraps me up in a big hug. Everyone in the coffeeshop stopped to look on and say, “aww” as we hugged. I even teared up a little bit. Is there anything better than watching a child run into the arms of their mom or dad? I love those videos of soldiers who are returning home to their kids, and watching the reaction of the kids who sprint into their arms with eyes full of tears. It gets me every time – there’s just something special about a love that can’t wait, but moves someone to run to someone else. We spent about 10 minutes together before the kids left to go home and I was left alone with my lunch and my filled up heart. Kylie called me a while later to say, “I needed to share what happened when we got in the car. I asked Ava if she enjoyed seeing you and she responded by saying, ‘Yes. I love my daddy so so much.’” It was everything that I needed to hear. Let me give you some context as to why this meant so much to me today. Ava and I did not have the best day yesterday, she had a lot of behavioral issues and I wasn’t as patient as I should have been. As a result, I felt like when she went to bed that we were off – and I was concerned about how she would feel about me today. So, to see her running into my arms, even after such a hard day, was powerful. 

My daughter taught me something very important today through her actions, and it was about the love of God. I want to read the majority of a lengthy parable today that Jesus is recorded as teaching in Luke 15:11-24. We often refer to this as the parable of the prodigal son, but I often refer to it as the parable when God ran. It reads, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” This parable holds a very special place in my heart, it is so powerful in what it teaches us about the love of our eternal Father. This son, this reckless, selfish son, made some decisions that wounded and hurt his family – especially his father. He demanded his inheritance, left his father, and ran off to indulge himself in the pleasures of life. Imagine the pain in the fathers heart as he watched his son disappear in the distance…imagine his pain as day after day he looked for his son to return, but he was nowhere to be found. Who knows how much time passed, but soon the son found himself desperate. He realized the great wrong he had done, and he realized the only answer was to return home to his father. However, he could not return as a son – he was not worthy to do so – so he would appeal to his father’s mercy to make him just a slave, at least he would have enough to eat that way. And that’s when it happened…while he was a great distance off, his father sees him and runs to him. He did not run to rebuke him. He did not run to run him off. He ran to him & embraced him. He embraced him not as a slave, but as a son. It did not matter what had happened before, all of that was behind them, the Father was merely overjoyed that his son had returned home. 

You might be listening to this podcast and in your heart you know that the way you have been living has been reckless. You left your eternal Father, and it wounded him greatly. For some time, you have been squandering the gifts that God has given to you, using them selfishly for yourself and indulging yourself in the world. And yet, perhaps something has triggered inside of you and caused you to come to your senses. You realize the things that you have done were wrong, dreadful, and you have convinced yourself as a result that God could never want you back. Let me tell you something – nothing could be further from the truth. It does not matter where you’ve gone, what you’ve done, or how long you’ve been gone. Every day your Father is watching, anxiously awaiting for you to turn back to him and come home in humility. James tells us that if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us. I would take that even one step further, if you draw near to God, he will run to you. He wants to wrap you in his arms, reaffirm his love for you, and welcome you home. You cannot repay God for all the harm you’ve done, but he doesn’t ask for you to. He merely wants you not to be lost, he wants you to come home. Repent, humble yourself and turn back to God – and he will run to you and embrace you with arms wide open. It’s time for you to come home. 

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Fridays, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and weekly video sessions that are uploaded on Saturdays. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above!