Loving What Is
Loving What Is
Have you ever held on to a story that was true, but caused you to suffer inside? Maybe someone betrayed you, wronged you, or hurt you—and you kept replaying the story in your head. The more you replayed it, the more bitter you felt. Resentment grew, blinding you to joy and goodness around you.
If you’ve been there (and we all have), today’s wisdom from Jesus offers something freeing.
The Father’s Love in the Prodigal Story
We’ve been looking at Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. We’ve seen how the younger son was lost in rebellion, and the older son was lost in religion. Today, the spotlight shifts to the father.
The father represents God. And Jesus is saying, This is what God is like.
The father is forgiving, restoring, and relentless in love. He shamelessly runs to welcome home both lost sons. Unlike human parents, his love isn’t conditional or measured. It’s lavish and reckless—prodigal in its generosity.
What does the father truly want? Relationship. Family. Shared meals. Love exchanged.
The Scandal of Grace
When the younger son demanded his inheritance early, the father said yes. He sold off a third of the estate and gave it away. This shocked everyone. But even more shocking was his response when the son returned.
Instead of punishment, the father ran to him. Instead of rejection, he restored him. Instead of shame, he threw a party.
This is grace. It’s not what we expect, because God is not like us.
Forgiveness and Freedom
The younger son found restoration, but the older son refused to join the feast. He remained outside, bitter, replaying the injustice in his mind.
“This shouldn’t have happened. Life is unfair. He doesn’t deserve it.”
That cycle of rehearsing the hurt kept him stuck. And if we’re honest, that’s where many of us live—outside the party of joy, replaying wrongs, unwilling to forgive.
Forgiveness is the door into freedom. Without it, we stay trapped in our own suffering. With it, we step into the Father’s joy.
Loving What Is
There’s a book by Byron Katie called Loving What Is. The idea is simple but powerful: it’s not the past events that keep us suffering, but the way we continually think about them. The hurt may be real, but rehearsing it keeps us chained.
Jesus invites us to break the cycle. Through prayer, confession, forgiveness, and surrender, we release the story that holds us and allow God’s love to heal us.
Letting go doesn’t excuse the wrong. It sets us free.
Will You Step Into the Party?
Jesus leaves the parable unresolved. The older brother stands outside while the father pleads with him. We never find out what he does next.
Why? Because we’re the ones who finish the story.
God’s invitation is clear: Let go of pride. Stop rehearsing the hurt. Forgive, restore, surrender, and step into joy.
This is what God is like—lavish, openhearted, and reckless with love. The only question left is:
Will you step into the party?
