Run to the Father

Ok, let’s be real. Cody Carnes’s song “Run to the Father” has been my worship jam for multiple months straight. This song has given me a great opportunity to both examine and develop my relationship with God the Father, also and awakened me to a reality far deeper than song lyrics.

Frequently, our perception of God the Father, can be greatly sculpted or disfigured, by the image of our own earthly father. Whether these men were distant or close, they hugely impact our idea of what it means to be a Father.

As for myself, I’m blessed with a beautiful relationship with my earthly dad. When I was little, my dad and I developed a daily tradition. As soon as his wheels hit the driveway, I would position myself at the end of our long hallway, which ran the whole length of the house to the doorway. My dad, I’m sure exhausted from a long day of work, would unload himself, roll up his sleeves, loosen his tie, and then turn to the hallway… when I would come running. As fast as my little legs and arms could pump, all the way down the long hallway, and into my father’s arms. We continued this tradition every evening, and it quickly became known as our “run-up hug.” Eventually we had to stop the “run-up hug” because I almost sent my dad through the glass window behind him, but the uniqueness of our relationship continued. Soccer played a huge part in my life, and my dad was there through the whole ride. He was my first coach, and my proudest fan when I scored my first goal. As I grew up, and he grew up too, his role became less active, but he never became less present. When I joined a travel league, he consistently traveled ridiculous distances to watch me play. Around this time, I developed a teenage attitude, and was convinced that I had become “too cool” for my dad. I started distancing myself. Slowly but surely, this distance grew, until my early years in college when I hardly ever spoke to my dad. I distinctly remember my mom calling me out one day and telling me that dad missed the sound of my voice. That stung, but I still didn’t change my behavior. Despite all this, my dad remained as faithful as before. I was playing on my school’s soccer team, and even though travel times became more ridiculous than before, my dad continuously made the effort to come. Some games I didn’t step a minute on the field, and we only saw each other for a few seconds at the end, but he stayed… my proudest fan. Around this time, my heart was personally hurt in a way that I could have never imagined. I remember coming home to visit, completely unsure of how to continue forward. After so much time of distance, I slowly rediscovered a man that I could rely on and have complete confidence in. The uniqueness of our bond began to bloom again. It became clear to me that, no matter how far I ran away, my dad would always be there to for me when I came back.

Again, I’m very blessed by my earthly dad. And maybe that’s not the experience you had with your earthly father. No matter what your experience, however, we all have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much better than even the best earthly dad ever could. I want you to think of the concept of God as Father and imagine the first visual picture that comes to mind. If you’re anything like me, what you see is some old guy with a big white beard sitting in the clouds. While that has been the image we’ve been taught, that is so far from who God the Father actually is. I think that the parable of the prodigal son more accurately describes the essence of God the Father:

And He said, “There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.” And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” – Luke 15:11-24

Do you remember the story of the “run-up hug?” The heart of the matter is this: In the run-up hug, I ran to my earthly dad. But when I am the prodigal son, my heavenly dad runs to me.

No matter how far I have run; no matter how many times I have hurt him personally through my sins; no matter how great the distance may seem, our Heavenly Father is looking for us. He is waiting for us to come back. And at the very first sign of repentance, He runs. He runs to us. He embraces us. He scoops us up in the tightest hug ever. We are found.

Let’s keep running to Him. But let us never forget: no matter how fast I run to the Father, He always runs to me faster.