“There’s no other god like You, forgiving our sins and showing us your constant love." ~ Micah 7:18
Chloe, an otherwise healthy 24-year-old
female with no past medical history, grew tired of the COVID pandemic; weary of
the monotony, frustrated about complying with overly-restrictive guidelines,
and hopeless - as if nothing could keep her safe from exposure anyway.
Tired, worried and lonely, she bought a ticket to St. Thomas
and headed south - reasoning that the hotel would be mostly empty and
reassuringly clean. Surely the virus
transmission rate had to be lower than Michigan. (In fact, the coronavirus infection rate in St. Thomas had been steadily
climbing; Chloe’s risk of catching it grew rapidly during her stay.)
After four glorious days of sun, fun and what only can be
described as excessive partying, Chloe returned home. During the week that followed, the critical
period of potential transmission, Chloe went on shopping trips and met up with
friends; social distancing be damned!
Then it hit. Fast …
fierce … vicious!
It began with fever, fatigue, and joint pain. Probably just a bad case of the flu, she mistakenly thought. When the malaise got worse, chest tightness confirmed that it could be nothing else. COVID-19!
She imagined vulnerable relatives
and friends and relatives dying and never forgiving herself. Work colleagues shamed her for being so selfish. Friends quickly distanced
themselves; they were scared too.
The illness marched on; every day a new surprise. Headaches, upset stomach, dizziness. She thought she must be dying; maybe even
wished she was.
On her trip homeward, she rehearsed the speech she prepared
for her father: “Dad, I’m so sorry. Can
you forgive me?” Her throat constricted
more with each word.
Tiny snowflakes hit the pavement
as worn tires approached the childhood home she hadn’t seen in years. Of the dozens of scenes that’d played out in
her mind, none prepared her for what she saw.
There, on the front porch stood her father, mother and twin
brothers. A banner taped across the front of the house read, “Welcome Home!”
She sobbed. Chole’s
Dad accepted her before words ever left her mouth.
Of course, she had been wastefully extravagant, but her father
was more lavishly excessive with his grace, mercy, and forgiving.
In many ways, we are all like Chloe. We stray from God’s presence when we grow
weary in our faith; being pulled by the world to embrace its destructive
ways. We lose sight of our Father
because we’re full of ourselves.
Thankfully, He is a sovereign God. His relentless pursuit is greater than our ability to
wander; forgiving us as if nothing happened. He
embraces us as if we’re not flawed and untidy, and sees our value when we deem
ourselves worthless.
Thank You Father, for giving us Your only
Son who loved us enough to come to earth and experience the worst pain
imaginable so we could be forgiven. Your mercy flows to us in spite of our many
faults and failures. Amen
