How God Feels When We Mess Up

How God Feels When We Mess Up Recently, while scrolling through my newsfeed, something powerful stopped me in my digital tracks. It was a graphic that read, Religion: “I messed up. My Dad is going to kill me.” Gospel: “I messed up. I need to call my Dad.” In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable that gives us context for understanding the message behind this graphic. The son in Jesus’ parable had messed up bad. We’re talking…greedily demand an inheritance, waste it on “wild living,” and crawl back home after it all blows up sort of bad. In his shame, he hoped his father would be forgiving enough to at least let him work as a hired servant, since he believed his status as son had been tainted by his betrayal. He never could have anticipated the warm welcome he’d actually receive. The story culminates with the father, upon seeing his son still a long way off, setting aside his own dignity in order to run to him. The father was utterly filled with compassion, and threw his arms around his son, welcoming him home. I love what this parable shows us about our heavenly Father’s posture. He is a Father who runs toward his children, in all our mess. He pursues us, unhindered by all the brokenness, guilt, and shame that we carry. And with great enthusiasm, he invites us to wear the identity he has for us—as sons and daughters who he sees as blameless through Christ. What good news!