Arms wide open

I have heard it said, “We often see God in the way we see our earthly fathers.”
I’m not sure if that is entirely true, but if it is, the summer of my 16th year began to turn the tide for me.
My sister and her husband invited me to spend the summer with them in his home state of Michigan. At 21, they had customized a van to travel the country as he moved from one worksite to the next.
That summer promised adventure. I pack-ed my cutoff jeans, halter tops, and rattan sandals into a duffle bag, ready to live like a rule-free hippie – peace sign headband, bangle bracelets, and all.
There were sightseeing adventures: Mackinaw Island, hiking trails through the countryside where we picked wild strawberries, and quirky little spots like The Key Hole and Danny’s Place, with their bare walls of knotted, splintered wood.
Late-night bonfires, spontaneous parties, and new friends with long hair and faded T-shirts made the summer unforgettable. The J. Geils concert on the hillside in the warm sunshine felt like a mini Woodstock.
As summer ended, I flew home. Landing in Tallahassee, I realized just how much I had missed home – and soon discovered how much home had missed me.
In the bustling terminal, I barely glanced around before I saw my dad climbing onto a three-foot plant partition. He seemed ready to leap mountains. Dad pushed through the crowd, scooped me up, and swung me around like he hadn’t seen me in years. In his arms I felt completely safe.
That moment – the laughter, the tears, the sheer eagerness – stays with me. It reminds me of how God loves us. He doesn’t linger politely on the sidelines. The Heavenly Father runs toward us, arms wide, joy spilling over with a mercy that cannot be denied.
As a child, much of what I heard about God was fear-based – sermons of wrath and hell. Fear taught me He was powerful, but it kept me at a distance.
Stories like Noah’s Ark emphasized destruction, not His grief or the patience He showed for nearly a hundred years while humanity had a chance to turn back.
Later, I began to understand that God is not only holy and just – He is love, and that love is His very nature. As 1 John 4:18 reminds us, perfect love drives out fear. Fear may shape our outward actions, but love draws us close and transforms the heart.
In the New Testament, we see Jesus showing us God in human form (John 14:9). He is present, merciful, and loving. He draws close to those the world avoids – lepers, the demon-possessed, sinners, and tax collectors. Without condemnation, Jesus brings forgiveness and new life.
Like the father in Luke 15 running to embrace his lost son, God moves toward us with arms wide, full of compassion even before we can speak.
That same grace is waiting for you today. I don’t know where you are in your walk with Him, but He is not distant or angry. He draws near, eager to meet you, to hold you in His mercy, and to surround you with His love.
No matter how far you feel, His arms are open, and His heart rejoices at the thought of embracing you.
So today, step into His arms and let His love lift, embrace, and carry you.
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.