The Prodigal Returns.....

The last two weeks I have been busy at work, preparing for my daughter's return from Governor's Scholars. She had been gone for 5 weeks: 5 weeks without her smiling face, her sweet voice echoing from the shower each night, and even 5 weeks without the extra piles of dirty laundry.

I decided that I needed to do something special to welcome her home: redecorate her room. I spent the time carefully selecting paint colors for her bedroom, clearing it out, and taping and painting. Of course, freshly painted walls needed new wall art and decor. Being a DIY kind of gal, I couldn't just go out and purchase all of the art and accessories. No, I had to take the time to find a $3 lamp, a $5 shade, ribbon, and polish to make her new bedside lamp truly one of a kind. A 3 hour drive to IKEA provided a shoe cabinet to house a large portion of her growing shoe collection, and when I returned home it was another 30 to 45 minutes to assemble it.

As I worked diligently throughout the weeks, I kept thinking of one thing......

This smile, that I knew would be there when Kari finally saw the time and effort that had gone into creating her new room. (As you can see, I was not disappointed.)

When I think back on the feelings that surged through me as I prepared for my daughter's homecoming, it brought to mind the parable of the Prodigal son. I can imagine the father's overwhelming feeling of joy and celebration as he bid the servants to bring forth robe and ring and sandals and the fatted calf.

According to Luke 15:
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

As much joy as I felt upon Kari's return and as much joy as that father felt on the return of his long lost son, it pales in comparison to the overwhelming joy that God must feel each time one of his lost children comes back to the fold. What pain God must feel as he watches a sinner go through his daily life, wandering aimlessly! What extreme anticipation he must feel as that same sinner begins to realize that he needs God as part of his life! What wonderful exhilaration God must feel when that sinner, that lost child, finally accepts God as his Savior and ever present help-meet and Father! And.... what a celebration must occur in heaven each time a Prodigal child returns home.

Just Say Jesus

I recently heard this song on KLove and it has quickly become one of my favorite songs.

There are often times when we, as humans, just aren't sure what to say. We just can't find the right words and don't quite know what to ask for. It is in times like these that we can just say, "Jesus." He is always aware of our real needs and knows how to help us with them, even when we can't put those needs into words.



I can hardly wait for the full album! The single is available now. Let me know what YOU think of it!