And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Luke 15:17 KJV

The prodigal son bottomed out. He found himself face down in the mud and muck of a pigpen. Hungry and humiliated, his eyes scanned the horizon for something good. Something better.

Luke 15: 11-32 is a favorite story among Christians. Not because of the prodigal's suffering. Instead, God's people love the glory and celebration of this story.

Over the snorts of foreign pigs, “Junior” could hear the laughter of kith and kin. Covered in filth, the boy remembered the deliciousness of Momma's kitchen. Suddenly, even the memory of Poppa's voice is a precious comfort.

Home. In glorious warmth and brilliant colors, the place he rejected called him. With hope. In love.

Perhaps your life has become a pigpen. That's okay. He is there, shining in beauty and joy. God has been waiting for you to notice He has been there all along.

God calls to you. With hope. In love. The mud and muck of your life can not hide His glory. Not if you decide to look. Not if you choose to listen.

Yesterday doesn't matter. God has never rejected you. God calls you home. Won't you answer?

Think: God loves me. No matter what.

Pray: “Lord, help me to respond to Your glory with repentance and joy.”

Copyright © September 2008, Kirk Hunt