The Love you Didn't Know You Needed

The Love you Didn't Know You Needed. January, 2019.

Give a listen to the podcast: 
http://www.pastorwoman.com/…/c4b073e7-ea50-4818-aeb9-037877…

"Welcome Home!" he said. Wow, have warmer words ever been spoken? 'Warmer words ever been heard? I don't think so.

Imagine this ancient fellow who heard "welcome home. . ." even as arms embraced him with a love like no other. Can you only imagine how the rebellious son felt when his father held him and said in his ear, "Welcome home, Son" . . . ? The full story: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/…

Luke chapter 15 is worth taking a look at because Jesus tells three simple stories (parables) of things lost that were found. The point of Jesus' parables was to illustrate a spiritual principle: in this case, the great love of the Father - that father who threw his arms around his son who had cut him to the core, the father who welcomed him home, ready to forgive him of all, just so he could have relationship with him.

Luke includes 24 of Jesus' parables - more than any other gospel. Your attention please: the stories always illustrate something of the Kingdom; they are not to be left at the simple story. Jesus was the best teacher who ever lived! Most of us are familiar with the prodigal son story-too familiar, I fear; we leave the story as we read it, instead of thinking of Jesus' reason for telling it. Here in the story of the boy who returned home is you; aye, this is the story of me. Because whether we recognize it or not, we have a deep need to be accepted, loved, affirmed and welcomed home by our Father, whether we have always been the responsible child or the rebellious one.

I think of my own dad. How I needed these things from him-affection, affirmation and unselfish, pure love. Somehow he did not have it to give. That did not take away or change my need for it.

Even as you, my dear friend, read this - you have long ago pushed down your own need for such a love as the one the father had for his son as he grabbed him, embraced him welcomed him home and celebrated him. 
~maybe your dad was not there
~maybe your father died much too early
~maybe your dad was emotionally 'not there'
Somewhat preoccupied, unavailable
~maybe your dad abused alcohol, or worse,
~maybe he abused you . . .
Whatever the reason for the void, it does not have to remain so.

Reach down within yourself and pull that need into the open, then recognize that very need is what our Father offers, that our Father alone can fully meet.

In verse three of Luke 15, Jesus tells of the sheep herder who would leave the flock of 99 to go for the one lost sheep. He wasn't talking about sheep, Friends. Jesus was talking about a loving father who values you so much he will go to any length to get you. The Father will never stop looking for you, but it is not just so he can count you in his number, it is so he can LOVE you, have relationship with you and radically transform your life. Someone could say that is a reckless kind of love - one that chases us down, fights til we're found; true that, here's the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc6SSHuZvQE

Didn't click on it? There is a reason the official lyric version has been listened to more than 78 million times, with another 10 million plus on the live version on Youtube. It is not just melodic; it is what we crave . . . not a love we think we have to earn or prove ourselves to get, but one so freely given.

We have a great, magnificent, perfect Heavenly Father who is also so so good, and desirous of loving each one of us while we live and forever while we live with him. Oh, you may think it is a love you didn't really need, but maybe you didn't realize you needed it. Maybe you had not recognized it as a lack you have from your dad. Reach out for the Father. ask him to show you his great love. He will show you through his Word, and he may show you through the uncommon love for another human being.

Christine Todd DiGiacomo

PastorWoman.com

~>this book really helped me explore this love I know I need
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen