Hey, Carpool Crew! Welcome to Carpooling with Jesus. I'm Pastor Justin. Happy Friday. I hope you have an incredible weekend ahead. And before we jump in, let me give a big shout-out to Ryan and Kinzley out in Cabot, Arkansas. Two of you in one carpool. I'm really glad you're here. You know that feeling when you did something wrong, nobody found out, and now you don't really want to talk to God? Yeah. We've all been there. So let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: when you mess up, go to God. Listen to this from Luke chapter 15, verse 20. "So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him." Compassion is a fancy way of saying he felt for him. Not anger. Love. This is from a story Jesus told. A son asks his dad for his share of the money, leaves home, and wastes all of it. He ends up so broke he's feeding pigs and wishing he could eat their food. And he decides to go home. He even practices a speech on the way: "Dad, I messed up. I don't deserve to be your son anymore." But look at what the dad does. His father sees him while he's still a long way off, and he runs to him. He hugs his son before the kid even gets the speech out. Jesus told that story to show us what God is like. So when you mess up, you don't have to be afraid to go to God. Does that mean what you did doesn't matter? No. The son really did blow it. He wasted everything. That was real. And his dad still ran. Maybe you told your mom something that wasn't true, and she believed you. Maybe you said something mean to your sister and she cried. Maybe you looked at somebody's paper during the test. Maybe you said something about a friend behind their back. And now it's bedtime. You get to the part where you'd normally talk to God, and you'd rather roll over and face the wall. Because talking to Him feels like walking into a room where somebody is already mad. You don't have to be afraid to go to Him. Hey, this week, here are a couple things you could try. First, tonight, before you roll over, say one sentence out loud: "God, I did it. I'm not hiding." That's it. You don't have to fix it first. You don't have to have a speech ready. The son had one, and his dad hugged him before he finished it. Second, if there's a person you need to say it to, say it tomorrow. "I'm sorry. That was my fault." Not because you got caught. Because you're done hiding. Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. When you mess up, go to God. Don't wait until you feel better. Don't wait until you get caught. Go. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, real quick. Tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus+, we're at the deep end, on what brave looks like the moment your kid's feet stop touching. And Sunday, bugs and spiders, and telling the scared that protects your kid from the one that bosses them. For less than a candy run at a gas station, your kids don't miss either one. Subscribe right from the app you're already on. *(APPLE VERSION ONLY, swap for the gas station line above: "And on Apple there's a yearly option at thirty four ninety nine, which works out to under three dollars a month, so your kids don't miss a single weekend between now and next October.")* And one more thing for the crew. There's a new Questions from the Backseat in your feed today: what does it mean to fear God? Go listen next. Before you go, let's answer this question together. When you mess up, what's one thing you know about God that makes it easier to go to Him? I'll see you tomorrow or next Monday on Carpooling with Jesus.
