Parents’ Love that Rejoices Over a Child Who Returned

For parents, the ones who are beautiful and lovely like flowers must be their children. Anything in this world cannot be compared with the devotional love of parents; they can even give up their lives for their children, the source of their joy. The reason it is hard to understand parental love is that it is like a precious pearl hidden in the deep sea.

When I was little, my father took me wherever he went. Whenever I saw kids playing outside on the way back home from my father’s work, I wanted to play with them, but my father didn’t want me to. So sometimes I got in trouble as I went outside to play without telling him. However, if there was a toy or anything I wanted, my father bought them for me no matter what it takes.

My father taught me strictly so that I wouldn’t waste my time. To follow my father’s teaching, I had to set aside time to hang out with my friends or time to do what I wanted to do.

While growing up, I went through changes of emotions, and the way I thought changed, too. I felt frustrated that I couldn’t go wherever I wanted to go and that I couldn’t do whatever I wanted to do while keeping my father’s words. My complaints toward my father kept piling up, and my home felt like a prison to me.

I ended up deciding to leave home. One day, while my mother was working in the field, I packed some of my clothes in a bag and left home quietly. Back then, the public transportation wasn’t good, so I had to walk. I just kept walking and walking along the path in front of me, not knowing what was going to happen to me.

Soon after I left home, I faced many problems. Although I was hungry, I couldn’t eat because I had no money. When I came to a point where I couldn’t endure hunger anymore, I took leaves off the trees and ate them. When the night fell, I slept in the street, and I walked all day while the sun was out. Sometimes, I even fell to the ground as my legs hurt so much. It was scary when I had to walk through the forest or cross the river, and I sometimes got wet in the rain. It was so painful that I actually thought about going back home, but it seemed impossible because I was already too far from my home. Even if I could go back home, I was afraid of my father who must have been very upset.

I settled in a region that was thousands of miles away from my home and got a job there. I worked until midnight, and started working again in the early morning the next day. As it repeated, I became weaker and more tired. It was painful even when I lay down at night after finishing such tiring work; I couldn’t sleep properly because I got heat rashes on my body from the hot weather, and I was beaten by mosquitoes all night, and there was a leak when it rained. My hands were wounded from the injuries I got from work. I came to a point where it was hard to continue working, but I had to do for a living. No one understood me or took pity on me there.

In the midst of continuous sufferings, I recalled my parents and shed hot tears: When I was sick, my mother carried me on her back and took me to the hospital, and whenever I had a nightmare, she comforted me, holding me in her arms; my father would hold my hand tightly whenever he took me to work so that he wouldn’t lose me and he bought me delicious food and everything I needed as long as I obeyed his word. Now that it had been a long time since I left home, regret came flooding into my mind.

I missed my family so much that I called them. The phone rang and my older sister answered it. She started crying and told me that everybody had been worried about me ever since I left home, and that our parents had been looking everywhere to find me. Only after I found out that my parents were suffering, did I regret having left my parents to have temporary freedom. I wept bitterly. Then I decided to go back home.

The day I came back home, I felt the joy I had never experienced before. My parents welcomed me. Who wouldn’t be happy when they found their long lost child? The joy of meeting my family again was indescribable. Ever since that day, I’ve been living a joyful life, laughing together with my family every day.

Time passed, and I received God’s truth at a precious moment of my life. Through the Bible, I learned that the earthly family system is a copy and shadow of the heavenly one. I also learned that we have spiritual Father and Mother just as we have physical parents. I was able to understand the love of the Heavenly Parents through the love of my physical parents.

I was a foolish child who did not realize that my father’s disciplines were for my future; I hurt my parents greatly by leaving home. I am also a sinner who forgot the spiritual Parents’ love in heaven and pierced through the hearts of Father and Mother. However, They spare no labor and sacrifice to cleanse me with the water of life and make me a perfect being although I have so many sins. I truly give thanks to Father and Mother for Their grace.

I was so happy when I came back home and met my family again. Now I feel even happier, because I have met the spiritual family members whom I lost thousands of years ago. I will fully obey God’s word so that I won’t worry our God Elohim. I look forward to the day we will go back to our heavenly home with Mother and meet Father with joy after finding all our lost brothers and sisters.