“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 (NIV)

As many of you know, I live with my son David as my wife JoAnn went home to be with the Lord. Dave has a form of Autism but is sharper and smarter then I’ll ever be. In the Poconos, everyone knows and loves Dave and I have simply become “Dave’s Dad”! There are times, as a Pastor, that I get overcome with the countless details of the church and I do not spend as much time with Dave as I want to and need to. I love him so much and want to be with him as much as I can. So the other day, I took a day off from work and I had Dave do the same from a program he attends.

We left early in the morning and drove down the Jersey Shore, where our family began. We drove along the coast stopping at different places where we used to live, visiting familiar landmarks, eating pizza, ice cream, foot long hotdogs, walking on the Boardwalk, buying junk, running in the sand and getting hot chocolates for the ride home. It was a beautiful day… but what was beautiful about it was that I was with my son, whom I love so much. During our day, I would just watch him walk, enjoy how he talked, watch him interact with people and truly brighten their day bringing smiles to literally everyone. Sometimes as we walked, he would put his hand in mine and put his arm on my shoulder… and I loved it. And then I would tell him how much I loved him and he would do the same… melting my heart with every word. As we drove home that day, he said that he had a great day and wanted to do it again. Absolutely Dave!

My day with Dave was a brief picture of how our heavenly Father wants to be with us. Because of His great love, He so desires to walk with us and talk with us and spend precious time with us. He wants us to share our heart with Him as He reveals Himself to us. He wants to assure us of His love, His presence, His care for us and His involvement in our lives. Not just one day once in a while, but always… every moment of every day… not just to visit, but to “abide” always. He wants to affirm that he is faithful to you, will never forsake you and will never let you go! In every struggle, battle and challenge to our faith… His arms embrace us as He whispers, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here and it’s going to be ok”. If we desire to be with our loved ones… how much more does our Holy Lord desire to be with us. I pray that we would want to be with Him as much as He wants to be with us! Make the time!

So the next time you get away to spend some time with the one you love and you happen to see two guys walking together… that’ll be Dave and that other guy? That will be Dave’s Dad!