26 The Unforgivable Sin
Mr. Smith had been frantically searching for his son Neil around the neighborhood for the past hour. As Mr. Smith was walking by the nearby park, he heard someone crying in the bushes. Mr. Smith walked into the bushes and found his son Neil hiding and sobbing uncontrollably.
"There you are, son!" exclaimed Mr. Smith. "I've been looking all over for you!" As Mr. Smith reached out towards his son, Neil started crying even harder.
Puzzled, Mr. Smith asked, "Son, why did you run away from home! Your mother and I have been worried sick over you!"
"I...ran away from home...because...because I accidently broke your favorite model airplane!" Neil sobbingly replied. "I know you spent many, many hours on it, Dad, and you told me to never touch it, but I did and it dropped! I'm so sorry, I tried to fix it, but I couldn't! I really messed up and I know you could never forgive me for this, so I ran away from home!"
Mr. Smith gently smiled and lovingly looked into Neil's eyes. "Son, I forgive you. Now come home with me."
With that, Mr. Smith carried his son back home.
There are times when we feel so distant from God and that we feel so guilt-ridden after committing a certain sin, that we wonder if God could ever forgive us. My friend, there is not a single sin God cannot forgive, no matter how bad you think it is. As long as we acknowledge our sin, repent of it, and truly ask God to forgive us, He will forgive us. It is time to stop running away and come back to God.
- Recommended reading: Acts 2:37-39, Acts 3:19
