True Compassion
So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15:20
Every one of us, at one time or another, have failed our parents. We all had rules to live by – the rules were different (sometimes drastically different) from household to household, but they were rules nonetheless. We have all been disobedient to those rules and had to face the consequences. I remember being in that very situation. My siblings had it much harder than I did, but I still had my consequences to deal with. I remember being afraid of getting dad angry, for fear of what he would do. Facing that situation is not desirable, and tends to guide our actions to avoid getting in those situations. Sometimes, we choose the wrong means to do just that.
The young man in this parable did exactly that – he went against all of his country’s customs, his family’s honor, and his dad’s heart to waste a bunch of money in a distant land. When he was broke, working at the worst job possible, and starving he decided to go home and face his dad. He did not have great expectations from the encounter. He was hoping to get hired on as a worker, figuring that he was already disowned.
His dad’s reaction was shocking! He showed unmistakable love, compassion, mercy, and joy at his son’s return. His son did not deserve any of that, but got it anyways! That is true compassion! That is exactly what God wants to do for us, if we only let Him!