The God Of Unmatched Shoes

While at home, the father and the elder son continue to manage the family farm. But the father is constantly watching, waiting, wondering how the younger son is doing. Then one day it happens. The younger son returns. The father sees him coming off in the distance. He runs to him, but his arms around him, hugs him, welcomes him back into the family. Though the son had hit the bottom, the father lifted him up. Though the boy had stupidly and selfishly squandered his inheritance, the father welcomed him back home. Though the boy disowned his family, the father restored his membership. The father accepted his lost son. He welcomed him back.

The following story speaks about this father very well:

A man who was commissioned to paint a picture of the Prodigal Son. He went into his work fervently, laboring to produce a picture worthy of telling the story. Finally, the day came when the picture was complete, and he unveiled the finished painting. The scene was set outside the father’s house, and showed the open arms of each as they were just about to meet and embrace. The man who commissioned the work was well pleased, and was prepared to pay the painter for his work, when he suddenly noticed a detail that he had missed.

Standing out in the painting above everything else in the scene, was the starkly apparent fact that the father was wearing one red shoe and one blue shoe. He was incredulous. How could this be, that the painter could make such an error? He asked the painter, and the man simply smiled and nodded, assuring the man, “Yes, this is a beautiful representation of the love of God for His children.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, puzzled.

“The father in this picture was not interested in being color-coordinated or fashion-conscious when he went out to meet his son. In fact, he was in such a hurry to show his love to his son, he simply reached and grabbed the nearest two shoes that he could find.

“He is the God of the Unmatched Shoes.” 2

Yes the father in the story of the Prodigal Son is like the God of the unmatched shoes. He hurries to reach out to his son that has returned. He hurries to forgive him not with crossed arms of disapproval, but with outstretched arms of love. The fathers hurries to reassure his son of the love that he has for him. The father hurries so that the son fully understands what is happening. He hurries so much that he puts on the two nearest shoes. He is not concerned about color of matching. He is just concerned about his returning son.

And our God through Jesus Christ is indeed the God of the Unmatched Shoes. The God of the Unmatched Shoes shows us very simply the love, God through Christ has for us. He has shown his love to us in a hurried manner. For God could not wait one more minute to rescues us from our sins through the cross of Calvary. God wants to forgive our wayward ways and accept us into His loving arms as soon as possible.

God is indeed the God of Unmatched Shoes.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale March 12, 2007

1A story by Phillip Yancy found in Christianity Today 10/6/97

Prodigal Son by Philip Yancey in his book "What’s So Amazing About Grace?"

found at SermonCentral

2 Contributed by: Wayne Major

found at SermonCentral