Today we’re going to look at how incredibly patient God is with us, as we begin our second day in a week long focus on the story of the prodigal son.   So often we judge ourselves, we can be our own worst critic. But today, if we’ll open our hearts and minds to listen and receive, we’ll find a patient God whose never surprised by our mistakes, and who never casts us out in the midst of our failures and shortcomings.   May the patience and love of God transform your heart today, as we spend time in his presence, engaging with his word.   Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 86:15, and today's worship is Sound Mind by Bethel Worship. -- Thanks for listening to today’s First15 Podcast. My name is Ryn, and I’m a part of the First15 Team. If you haven’t downloaded our brand new First15 app, make sure to click the link in today’s show notes to check it out! One of the new features that you can enjoy when you download the app is our Guided Prayers. We are adding new prayers to our library every month, so if you need a moment of peace with God, let these prayers be your guide!   In today’s world, life moves at such tremendous speed that sometimes it seems the only way one might gain any sort of grasp on all that is going on around them is to focus solely on what’s going on in their own life. The temptation, then, isn’t just to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others, but to actually be willfully blind to the struggles of others entirely. But the way of Jesus beckons us to follow him down a much more intentional path wherein even in his own suffering, he chose to care not only for those suffering in a similar way as he, but the very ones doing him harm. In today’s prayer, our friend Peyton Garland helps us explore the topic of empathy through the lens of scripture and by way of her own honesty. I pray it blesses you today and helps you to lift your eyes above and beyond all that stand in front of you today so that you might see the riches of the way of Christ.