The car shuddered to a halt along the dusty highway. “No, no, no!” Rachel pounded the steering wheel. She’d forgotten to fill the tank. She slumped against the driver’s seat. Now what? She was five miles past the outskirts of town, and there was never much traffic around here. To walk or wait? If she walked back toward town, there was a good chance of running into her parents. If they knew she was this close to home and wasn’t planning to visit, they’d be heartbroken.

She exited the car and moved to the shoulder, if it could even be called that. Why her parents felt the need to live in such an out of the way town was beyond her. This place was not for her. Not anymore. Not with their backwards religious ways. Granted, her parents were always kind. There was no doubt they loved her. But she didn’t deserve their love. Since she’d left home, she’d found every possible way to rebel. The idea of her parents seeing her now terrified her. They’d be able to see, just by looking at her, all the poor choices she’d made. No, she had to clean up her act, clean up her life before she tried to go back there.

A whimper sounded nearby. What was that? Rachel cupped her hand to her ear, then moved closer to the brush lining the side of the road. The whimpering grew louder. She crouched, ignoring the gravel biting into her knees. There, under a scrubby bush, was a tiny puppy. Rachel’s heart melted. She scooped the filthy, quivering animal into her arms.

“Hush, now. It’s OK. I’ll take care of you.” How she would manage to do that while stranded on the side of the road was yet to be determined. She transferred the pup to the crook of her arm and rummaged in her bag in the back seat, unearthing a granola bar and a water bottle. She broke the bar into pieces and fed them to the puppy, its tiny tongue tickling her fingers. She couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face.

After pouring out water for the little guy to drink, a rumbling sounded in the distance. Rachel turned to find an ancient pickup truck approaching. Her pulse jumped. That truck was more familiar to her than her own reflection. Beatrice. Her father had owned Beatrice longer than Rachel had been alive. What was he doing out here? Should she hide, or face him?

The prospect of being stranded out here for who know how long propelled Rachel to turn and face old rickety Beatrice head on as she approached. She could tell the instant Dad recognized her. He slowed the truck to a crawl, his face breaking out in an enormous grin, filling Rachel with guilt. She’d been gone so long.

Dad pulled the truck to the opposite shoulder and practically bounced out of the cab, running toward her. About to swallow her in a hug, he faltered, noticing the puppy and clearly not wanting to squash the poor thing. Rachel set the now dozing dog on her passenger seat and faced him.

“Hey, Dad.”

Dad wasted no time in enveloping her in his strong arms. Rachel inhaled the scent of wood shavings and pipe tobacco and was instantly transported back to her childhood home. How could he have stayed so completely the same when she was so very different?

Dad held on a beat longer than usual, then pulled back and assessed her. “It’s so good to see you, Pumpkin. What are you doing out here?”

Rachel reached back into the car to cuddle the sleeping puppy. She held him close to her chest, stroking his dirty, matted fur. “I ran out of gas.”

Dad threw back his head and let out a guffaw. “Oh, Pumpkin. Have you forgotten everything I’ve ever taught you? Don’t worry. I have a jug in the back of Beatrice. I’ll fill your tank, but only if you promise to turn that car around toward home. Mama will have my hide if I didn’t bring you back home for a meal. You’re nothing but skin and bones.”

Rachel swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I’m a mess. I don’t deserve to be back home.”

Dad studied her for a moment. “Come on over.” He led her to the back of Beatrice and dropped the tailgate. He hoisted himself up onto the edge, then reached out for the puppy while Rachel climbed up beside him. He handed the puppy back to her, and they sat in silence for several moments.

“Did you find this little guy by the side of the road?”

Rachel nodded.

“He’s a little smelly. And a bit filthy.”

Rachel stiffened. “I know. But I don’t care. I can always clean him up later. He needs me now.”

Dad’s eyes bored into hers, clear and bright, full of life, just like always. “You don’t have to get cleaned up for us to love you, either. Please, come home.”

Romans 5:6-8  

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God, we don’t have to clean up our lives to come to You. You love us just as we are, but You love us too much to let us stay that way. Thank You for accepting us and loving us even while we are still sinners. Thank You for helping us draw closer to You and for helping us become more like You. Help us not to judge others, but to point them to You. It’s not our job to change others, it is Yours. In Jesus name, Amen.