The Embrace Came Before The Apology
The armor is heavy, and you have finally set it down on the floor. Now the silence of the room feels loud, replaying the exact tone of your voice and that one word that slipped out.
You wonder if they saw through the rest of your performance, if they noticed the crack in the mask you wore all day. But there was a father who saw his son coming home from a long way off.
He did not wait for the speech. He did not wait for the apology or the explanation of why things went wrong.
He ran. Before the son could even finish his rehearsed lines, the father threw his arms around him and kissed him.
The embrace came first. The welcome was already there, waiting for you to stop performing.
You are exhausted from holding up a facade that was never required. The light does not need your perfect presentation.
It only needs your presence. The mask was for the world, but the love is for the one who is finally coming home.
Drawing from
Luke, John
Verses
Luke 15:20, John 15:15
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