Welcoming Without Hesitation
How do we welcome home our lost brothers and sisters? By running out to them, embracing them, and kissing them. By clothing them with the best clothes we have and making them our honored guests. By offering them the best food and inviting friends and family for a party. And, most important of all, by not asking for excuses or explanations, only showing our immense joy that they are with us again (see Luke 15:20-24).
That is being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. It is forgiving from the heart without a trace of self righteousness, recrimination, or even curiosity. The past is wiped out. What counts is the here and now, where all that fills our hearts is gratitude for the homecoming of our brothers and sisters.
—Henry Nouwen,
Welcoming Home
How do we welcome home our lost brothers and sisters? By running to them with open arms, embracing them without question, and lavishing them with joy. Jesus paints the picture in Luke 15—not of a scolding, suspicious father, but of one who throws a robe on his son’s shoulders, a ring on his finger, and throws a feast. No demand for explanations. No need for apologies. Just celebration that the one who was lost is now found. That’s the love of the Father—and the pattern for us to follow.
To welcome like this is to reflect the perfection of our heavenly Father. It means forgiving from the heart—without keeping score, without suspicion, without superiority. When someone returns, the past is not replayed—it’s released. All that remains is the joy of the present moment. If we’ve ever been on the receiving end of this kind of grace, we know its power. May we now become those who extend it just as freely. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics