Was just telling Meiyun about this video that made me cry buckets - even at the second time I watched it. I told myself that the next time they show it, I must walk away. I’m ugly when I cry badly.
I guess I was just touched by the extent of a father’s love for his son. If you want know their story, you can visit their website at http://www.teamhoyt.com/. Or you can read their Sports Illustrated story here.
Yet, this is a story that pales in comparison with what God the Father has done for us, not because we reciprocated His love, but simply because He loves.
I know, from my own life, how diligently I have tried to be good, acceptable, likable, and a worthy example for others. There was always the conscious effort to avoid the pitfalls of sin and the constant fear of giving in to temptation. But with all of that there came a seriousness, a moralistic intensity - and even a touch of fanaticism - that made it increasingly difficult to feel at home in my Father’s house. I became less free, less spontaneous, less playful…
The more I reflect on the elder son in me, the more I realise how deeply rooted this form of lostness really is and how hard it is to return home from there. Returning home from a lustful escapade seems so much easier than returning home from a cold anger that has rooted itself in the deepest corners of my being.
Henri Nouwen
Lifting this quotation from Philip Yancey’s book on What’s So Amazing About Grace because there’s something here that resonates in my heart. What strikes a chord is the self-effort towards virtue. Yet, more often than not, it leads to legalism and pride, and a sedated ability to grasp the grace and love of God. It’s almost as though because one doesn’t sin much because of conscientious virtue (by own perception), he couldn’t feel forgiven much and hence loved much. but I suppose this is all twisted perception that has not been renewed by the Lord.
To quote Philip Yancey as an end note: Repentance, not proper behaviour or even holiness, is the doorway to grace. And the opposite of sin is grace, not virtue.
