Jesus taught a parable about a man that had two sons. The younger son came to the father and asked him for his inheritance. The father gave him this inheritance and a few days later, the son gathered everything and left on a journey to a far country.

In this far country, he wasted his inheritance with riotous living. After he had nothing left, there was a mighty famine in the land, and he had nothing. He was in want. He started working for a man that had him feeding his swine. He was so hungry that he became jealous that of the food the swine ate.

The art above depicts this scene. Look at his face. I have been there. Can you relate to this image? He was in a very desperate situation.

He finally came to his senses as he realized that his father’s servants were fed and well taken care of as he perishes with hunger. He decides to go back to his father and seek forgiveness and ask to be hired as a servant.

As he was yet a great way off from home, his father saw him and had compassion, and he ran to his son and embraced him. His son told him that he is no more worthy to be called his son for he sinned against him. His father called to the servants telling them to bring the best robe and put it on his son and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. He had them put on a feast because he was celebrating that his son had returned. “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:11-24 KJV)

Several weeks ago, I had an interesting thought come to my mind. We are all the Prodigal Son. We all left our Heavenly Father to come down to this earth. We received our bodies and have forgotten everything from before. We have our agency to choose anything and everything in this life.

Agency is a tricky thing. It can bring us great happiness and it can bring us lots of grief. Sometimes we choose things with great intentions. Sometimes we make choices without thinking about the consequences. Sometimes we choose the best we can and because others also have agency, things are still difficult. We choose how we spend our time each day. We choose what to spend our money on. We choose how to worship and even if we believe in God or not.

We also are subjected to the agency of others. There will be choices that are made that affect more than just us. Sometimes, we struggle in our lives because of the choices of others. Some of these trials are very difficult to endure. It is hard to see a way out of these circumstances.

The prodigal son had a desire, and he chose to follow it. He left all that he knew, the safety and love he had at home, and went out into the world. We all did this. We left our Heavenly Parents and came to this world. Our desire was to get our bodies and come down and learn, have experiences, and make our way back to our Heavenly Parents.

He then ran into a very tempting world. He quickly found himself in trouble. This world wasn’t very forgiving. He was miserable. He wanted better for himself. He realized that the pigs ate better than he did. All of us have made choices that brought us misery at one time or another. Maybe you are in misery right now.

He realized that he needed to repent and find his way back to his father. Just as we need to repent and find our way back to our Heavenly Father.

He made a decision. He left and traveled back on a long journey to ask his father for forgiveness and to ask for the littlest blessing of being a servant to his father so that he would have a better life than he had been experiencing. This took action on his part. It was a long journey as he had left to a far country. It took time for him to get back to his father.

Just as when we sin and leave God behind in our own lives, it will take a decision to come back to Him. It will take action to leave turn away from the things that brought us misery. That might feel like a long hard journey to us.

When he was close enough to his father’s land, his father saw him. He RAN to him in joy and love. He had compassion on his son and didn’t even respond to his son’s offer to be a servant. He had a find robe brought and placed on his shoulders. He celebrated his return.

Just as it is with Heavenly Father. He sees our hearts changing. He sees our efforts make the journey back to Him. He is filled with joy and celebration that we have turned away from sin and have decided to return to our Father again.

I have been in the prodigal son’s place. I was in the pen with the swine and wondering how I got myself into this situation. I realized that I needed to make a change. It was a mighty change. God gave me the courage and the determination to make this change. He blessed me on my long journey back to Him. That journey was the most amazing experience. It was filled with inspiration, love, learning and the Spirit to guide me. It was not as difficult as I expected it to be. (That was Satan whispering to me that it would be impossible to turn back to God. He. Is. A. Liar.)

I did not have to travel a long distance to return to my Father in Heaven. I had a lot to learn. I had a lot of good habits to begin. I faltered at times, but He was always there to pick me up. He was with me, and He still is as I journey in this life back to Him.

I just wanted to share this realization with you today. You don’t have to make foolish choices to be the prodigal son. We are all the Prodigal Son. We all came to earth and forgot our purpose. We all spend time and money on things that are not important. We all must find our way back to Heavenly Father. And no matter what sins we have committed, He will run to us with joy and compassion.

I love this image with the father rushing to his son. The joy on his face. I can also relate to the son who is so ashamed and wishes only for the least of his father’s blessings for himself because of his shame in himself and his choices. Remember, that shame is not of God. He will run to us no matter how filthy we are and smell like a swine pen. He will embrace us and welcome us with a royal banquet. He wants to dress us in the garb of royalty, for that is who we really are: Royal children of a most high God.

I know that God loves us all. I know that He will forgive us if we truly turn away from all that was sinful and invite us to live with Him again. You are not too far gone. He is waiting patiently for you to turn to Him.