Thank You for this day, Father. May I follow closely by Your side with my hand firmly in Yours. Amen.

Luke 15:11-32 (<<click green)

At Kohl’s, we have a protocol in place for certain emergencies – Code Blue for medical emergencies, Code Red for fire, Code Green for tornadoes and such. In my more than seventeen years of employment, I can count on one hand the number of times all three of these together have been called (thank You, Lord!). But we have a fourth one that is called multiple times each week – Code Yellow. It is a notification for associates to help locate a lost child or if we’ve found a lost child, a lost parent. Thankfully, there has never been a long-term separation and parent and child are soon reunited. One of the best things to hear is “Cancel Code Yellow”.

Lord, none of us are exempt from wandering from You. Some of us wander away for just a short period of time. Some of us have wandered for years. Your desire is to be reunited. But like the children we are, we sometimes relish in our “freedom”. But many times it is short-lived when things bigger than we are, scare the bejeebies out of us.

Unfortunately, many wander in separation for years feeling like they are beyond being reunited with You. You know different but we feel like our list of “crimes” is too large to consider reconciliation. But no list is too big for You, Lord. Your sacrifice encompassed the entirety of sin from all of mankind. Nothing is too big nor is anyone too far gone that You cannot redeem.

Lord, all of us wander. May we all see that You are not poised with a lightning bolt ready to nail us for our wandering but like the Father in Luke 15, You eagerly await our return. If we will but ask with sincerity of heart, all will be forgiven.

Thank You, Lord, for Your fathomless love and forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

June 28th, Wed, 5:34 am