What happens when a person’s reckless living meets the reckless love of God? A.W. Tozer is quoted as saying something that makes me think of fathers. He said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing to us.” Obviously, my answer to this (as I already pointed out) is the word Father. That’s what comes to mind for me when I think of God and His amazing love for the lost.
It’s been said the greatest tragedy of our time is that we live in a fatherless generation. I definitely think it plays a part in the downfall of our world, but I also think that’s why knowing God as Father is so important. I was actually blessed with more than one dad and father-figure in my life, whereas I have friends who never had that luxury. But regardless of what side of the equation we are on, there is One who wants us to know Him as our Father.
And Jesus went further to make sure we knew WHAT KIND of Father we have. In one of my favorite parables, Jesus illustrates for us the love, integrity, and nature of God — our Father God. In Luke 15, we find the story of the prodigal son. Jesus said, “Once there was a father with two sons. The younger son came to his father and said, ‘Father, don’t you think it’s time to give me the share of your estate that belongs to me?’ So the father went ahead and distributed among the two sons their inheritance. Shortly afterward, the younger son packed up all his belongings and traveled off to see the world. He journeyed to a far-off land where he soon wasted all he was given in a binge of extravagant and reckless living” (Luke 15:11-13, TPT).”
Every parent has to release their children at some point in time out in the world. In this parable, Jesus illustrated that a good father doesn’t hold his children back– even if they’re not prepared to see everything the world has to offer. And that’s what happened to this young son. He got caught up in prodigal (loose and without restraint) living, eventually losing everything. In other words, he found himself far from home and at the bottom with nowhere to look but up.
One thing I love about this story is that when the son comes to his senses, he immediately thinks of his father. This is the hope of every parent– that what we put into our children will stable them in an unsteady world. The son thought long and hard about this and said, “I want to go back home to my father’s house. I’ll say to him, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I’ll never be worthy to be called your son. Please, Father, just treat me like one of your [servants]'” (Luke 15:18-19, TPT).
Seeds of hope are always rehearsed in hopeful hearts.
The love, integrity, and nature that this son knew about his father caused a change of heart in him when he needed it most. He knew he had failed, but he also knew he could return home. He dropped the selfishness and all expectation of waltzing back in the way things were before– rehearsing his repentance, hoping for a good outcome.
This is when RECKLESS LIVING meets RECKLESS LOVE.
“The young son set off for home. From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar, and great compassion swelled up in his heart for his son who was returning home. So the father raced out to meet him. He swept him up in his arms, hugged him dearly, and kissed him over and over with tender love” (Luke 15:20, TPT).
No matter what kind of father-figure any of us had growing up, Jesus wanted to make sure we knew that our Heavenly Father was a father of hugs and kisses– One who doesn’t wait for us to grovel at his feet before we’re acknowledged and accepted. No, this Father ran to the son as soon as He saw him coming down the road. He didn’t wait one extra minute to embrace his lost child.
But that’s not all– and maybe why as A.W. Tozer said, why I think of God as Father first. I’ve rehearsed many whispers of repentance in my heart over the years. Too ashamed to say it out loud or too afraid I’d be rejected if God knew the extent of my sin, until the reckless love of my Father God was illustrated and proven to me– just like Jesus wanted us to see through this story.
The young son told his father he was sorry and felt unworthy to be called a son anymore. But before he could request to be treated like an employee, the father interrupted him and told his servants to get a robe, and sandals, and the family ring, and put it on the son so he would know his status. This loving father wanted to make sure every time the son saw his reflection in the mirror he knew who he was in the father’s eyes.
The world would call this father’s love and acceptance reckless because who’s to say the son won’t wake up in a week and repeat his folly? It’s true. There are no guarantees in human behavior. But I can promise you this:
When reckless living meets reckless love, the heart is impacted and never the same.
So whether you’re learning to receive this kind of love as a child of God or whether you’re learning to restore this kind of child as a loving parent, I pray the example of our Heavenly Father encourages you today.
