Patience

(Please excuse my terrible grammar!)

Last night I went to a church, just like every Wednesday and spoke to a group of first to third graders on patience. It was kind of ironic that I was teaching on it because I literally have no patience whatsoever. I spoke on how the Prodigal Son in the Bible had no patience when he asked for his father's inheritance and continued reading throughout the story. Honestly, I did not look over my notes when I was putting my lesson together. I had heard the story of the Prodigal Son several times before and I figured it would be a nice and sweet message that would be over fast enough to play games.
However, when I started reading and explaining how the father patiently waited for the son to come back home, I nearly cried. I sometimes forget the beauty of the picture of the Prodigal Son. The son started coming up with what he was going say say to his father when he got home. He practiced his begging, pleading, and tears to just be a servant. When he reached his fathers land, the father was waiting patiently for him. I can picture the son clearing his throat before reciting his lines. He begins his cry for help when the father interrupts him and welcomes him home to the family.
This parable was told by Jesus.
The Father is a jealous God. He wants us. How incredible is that? He has proven that throughout the ages. He is constantly patient with us as we fall over and over again, always excepting us back into His loving arms, and welcoming us home.
Don't you see? We are sinful people. We cannot function without the Father! When the Prodigal Son ran away from his father and spent all his money, he ended up living with PIGS. The Bible said he longed to eat what the pigs ate because his boss would not feed him. This is just like us. We think the parties, the fancy foods, the wines, the "friends", and the attention will fill us up and make us satisfied. When we finally are all used up and don't have anything else to give, we realize how all of those things didn't really matter. The Prodigal Son was feeding the pigs and he realized that if he went back to his father's house and asked to just simply be a servant, he knew his father would at least feed him. This is a picture of us, readers! When we realize the only thing that can fully satisfy us is God, we reluctantly come to God and we are ashamed of our choices. But just like the father in the story, He wipes away each tear, and excepts us just as we are. He loves us that much. It does not matter to Him whatever we have done or what we have been through! Instead of making us feel guilty for our sins, He throws a welcome back party in our honor because we once were lost, but have been found.

"Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."
Thanks for reading and again, I am not a writer so please excuse my grammar.
For His Glory,
Alex