But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
In the story this verse comes from, the son had already rehearsed his apology — planning to come home not as a son but as a hired hand, since he figured he'd forfeited the right to anything more. He's still a long way off when the story turns. Before a single word of that speech gets said, the father is already running.
That detail would've shocked the first people who heard it. Grown men in that culture didn't run — it wasn't dignified. But this father doesn't care about dignity; he cares about his son, who he apparently never stopped watching for.
If part of you assumes God is waiting for you to get your explanation right, to prove you're sorry enough, to earn your way back into good standing — this story pushes back on that. The running starts before the apology. Whatever you think you'd have to say first to be welcomed, this verse suggests you might have that order backwards.
If you're carrying a story about needing to clean yourself up before you're welcome, it's worth reading the rest of that parable for yourself.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.