Coming Home: A Story of Grace, Redemption, and God’s Unfailing Love
The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 is one of the most beautiful pictures of God’s grace in Scripture. It’s a story of rebellion, brokenness, redemption, and love. A story that, in many ways, mirrors our own lives.
We’ve all been the prodigal at some point. Maybe not in the exact way he was, but we’ve all wandered. We’ve all turned away from God in search of something we thought would satisfy us—something we believed would bring happiness or fulfillment. The son in the story was convinced that life outside his father’s house would be better. He took his inheritance, ran off, and wasted it all on things that didn’t last. Then, when he had nothing left, when he was hungry and broken, he realized the truth: everything he had been searching for had been with his father all along.
Isn’t that how it so often happens? We chase after things that we think will make us happy—success, relationships, approval, money, comfort—only to find that none of it truly satisfies. Sometimes, it takes reaching rock bottom for us to finally look up and see that God has been there, waiting for us to return to Him.
And when we do? He doesn’t stand at a distance, arms crossed, waiting for us to cower. No, the father in the story does something incredible—he runs to his son. He doesn’t scold him, doesn’t make him earn his way back, doesn’t remind him of all the ways he messed up. He simply embraces him and welcomes him home. That’s the kind of love God has for us. No matter how far we’ve gone, no matter how much we’ve squandered, His grace is always greater.
The story doesn’t end there. There’s another person in this parable—the older brother. He had stayed home, done the right thing, followed the rules. And when he saw his father celebrating the return of his wayward brother, he was furious. He couldn’t understand how someone who had made such a mess of things could be welcomed back so easily. He felt like he was the one who deserved the reward.
How often do we find ourselves in the shoes of the older brother? Maybe we’ve been faithful, we’ve done what we were supposed to do, and then we see someone else receive grace—a second chance, a blessing, a fresh start—and it stirs up resentment in us. Grace doesn’t work that way. God’s love isn’t something we earn, it’s something He freely gives, and when we truly understand the grace He has extended to us, it should change the way we extend grace to others.
The father in the parable loved both of his sons. He reminded the older brother that everything he had was already his, but that celebrating a lost son returning home was the right thing to do. That’s God’s heart for all of us. He doesn’t just love those who have stayed close—He loves the wanderers, the broken, the ones who have made mistakes, and He calls us to do the same.
Whether we find ourselves relating to the prodigal or the older brother, the message remains the same: God’s love is bigger than our failures, His grace is deeper than our resentment, and His arms are always open to welcome us home.
