I read this story about a traveler who found himself sitting next to a man on a train. The man looked burdened, weighed down by something heavy—something no one should carry alone. After sitting in silence for a while, the man finally opened up. He had just been released from prison and, in that moment of vulnerability, also admitted that his imprisonment had brought shame on his family and that they had neither visited him nor written much.
He tried to convince himself that maybe they were just too poor to make the trip or too uneducated to write. And before his release, he wrote one last letter to his family suggesting that if his family had forgiven him, they should put up a white ribbon in the big apple tree near the tracks as a signal. If they didn’t want him back, they were to do nothing; he would understand, stay on the train, and head West.
As the train approached his hometown, his heart pounded with fear and anxiety. The anticipation became too much, so he couldn’t bear to look out the window. He asked the traveler to look for him. As they neared the apple tree, the traveler placed his hand gently on the convict’s arm. “There it is,” he whispered, his voice suddenly unsteady. “It’s all right. The whole tree is white with ribbons.”
Maybe you feel like that man. You’ve made mistakes, you’ve wandered off the path, and you wonder if God could ever forgive you. But always remember God’s love is bigger than any mistake you’ve made. His grace is greater than any failure. Just like that apple tree, the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ—covered with His precious blood—stands as a symbol that God has already poured out His mercy and forgiveness over your life.
So look up, and you’ll see—God’s already tied ribbons all around you. Ribbons of grace, of mercy, of love. Repent, turn to Him, and you’ll see that, like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is running toward you with arms wide open, saying, “It’s all right. Come home. I’ve been waiting for you. You are forgiven, you are loved, and you belong here.”
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