I have had the urge to write this entry for a couple of days, but not knowing where and how to start, I brushed it aside.

Till tonight.

I came home, sat at the feet of my Beautiful Jesus and I was urged to turn to Luke 15.

It was confirmation, on my end. Sensing it deep within me and with conviction blazing, I am perched on my chair writing this entry.

In Luke 15, Jesus shares of 3 parables – The Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Parable of the Lost Coin and The Parable of the Lost Son.

Particularly captivating my attention and has been the prompting of my heart for this few days is the last of the three, The Parable of the Lost Son.

Christians reading this, you have heard of this story told ample times – from the days of Sunday School till now.

It is one of the best demonstration of grace and a story of earnest repentance.

However, that isn’t the primary focus of this entry.

Let us shift our focus to the lost son, for a moment. In other translations, he is referred to as the prodigal son.

Picture this with me.

I would see him as the dominant personality in the family. He would probably be loud, boisterous. He was always the one to take the lead, and loves being in the limelight. He enjoyed being among the company of his equally flashy companions and is often times the life of the party.

Not content with living in a mundane environment, he longed for an adventure. He wasn’t one who settles for the norm, he desired the extraordinary.

The life of luxury and comfortable environment in which he was brought up in did not bring him contentment.

Urging his father to give him his share of the inheritance, he splurged it all. My guess? The contribution of his father’s hard earned cash went booze, entertainment and girls. This is not merely my own assumption, the Bible mentioned it (Check out Luke 15:13 – “...squandered his wealth on wild living.”)

The insides of his pockets turned out and cash running low, I see him now trudging through the streets, thinking of means of survivals.

I am pretty sure the thought of returning home crossed his mind, at least once.

Pride got better of him. He felt the need to prove himself. Not yet, he reckons. “Let me give this one more shot,” he said to himself.

Of all the things he could have done, he landed himself a job to feed the pigs.

Those pink, bolster-like animals were his responsibility. They had more to eat than him. He had nothing. Nada. Zilch. No food to fill his rumbling tummy.

By now, he would no longer be loud and boisterous.

He would have looked scruffy, unshaven, with messed up hair. His shirt would probably be losing a few buttons. He hasn’t had a shower in weeks; he would be funny-smelling even.

Verse 17 is my highlight – “When he came to his senses...”

The reality of his predicament sunk in. He looked around him and he saw the state that he was in.

"It is time," he told himself.

The beauty of this parable – He took The First Step.

He wasn’t going to let guilt stop him from returning. He wasn’t going to let his pride get in the way.

He had it in his mind, and he put it into action. He stretched out his legs and took The First Step.

I believe that the purpose of this parable isn’t just to illustrate the kindness and forgiveness of God.

It is also to challenge us to have a willing heart. It is for us to be the ones taking The First Step.

The thing I love most about our Father in Heaven is that He is such a gentleman. He is so deserving, yet He never forces. He is so worthy, yet He never imposes or demands.

He wants us to want Him. He wants us to leap into His arms willingly, not by force.

We are to come to realisation of our need of Him; of how lost we are without Him, of how meaningless life is when it is not spent with Him.

And, we are to take that first step towards Him.

Nothing could ever come between you and God, unless you have built up a wall to isolate yourself from Him. Nothing you do could ever make Him love you less or more.

So, what awaits you when you boldly plunge your feet in His promises and take on that First Step towards Him?

From a distance, you see His arms wide open, welcoming you.

Coming face to face with Him, he puts on the robe of righteousness on your back, slips on the ring of son(daughter)ship on your finger.

He pulls you into a close embrace with Him, He places His hands on both sides of your cheeks and kisses you.

He’s there – waiting, aching and longing for your return. Take that First Step, back to Him.