Tobit 11:1-6: a reflection

As Tobias comes home from his long journey, his mother, who has been watching the road for him, sees him coming and cries out with joy, a tender picture of the watching, hopeful love that waits and longs for the return of the one it loves. Anna sat looking around toward the path for her son, the account says; she saw him coming, and said to his father, behold, your son is coming. While her son was away on his long and uncertain journey, the mother sat watching the road, looking down the path, longing and hoping for his return. And when at last she saw him coming, her heart leapt with joy, and she ran to tell his father. It is a picture of watching, waiting, hopeful love. This shows the watching, hopeful love that waits and longs for the return of the one it loves. Watching, hopeful love waits and longs for the return of the beloved. Love watches the road, longing for the one who is away. There is joy in the awaited return of one who is loved. Such watching love is a reflection of how God longs for our return.

Notice the picture of the mother watching the road. Her son had been away on a long and uncertain journey, and she did not know when, or whether, he would return. So she watched: she sat looking toward the path, gazing down the road, longing and hoping for the sight of him coming home. And when at last she saw him, joy filled her; she ran to bring the glad news to his father. It is a tender and moving picture of love that watches and waits and longs for the return of the one it loves. This picture stirs something in us and reflects something beyond itself. It reflects, first, the love we are given for one another: the watching, hopeful love that longs for those dear to us, that waits for their return, that rejoices when they come home. Such love is a good and God-given thing. And it reflects, further, something of how God himself loves: for Scripture pictures God, too, as watching the road for the return of his wandering children, longing for them to come home, and running to meet them with joy when they do, as the father ran to the returning prodigal. The watching, hopeful love of a parent for a child is a faint reflection of the longing love of God for us, who watches for our return and rejoices when we come home. We do well to be moved by such watching love, both to treasure it among one another and to remember that God so longs for and welcomes our return. Treasure the watching, hopeful love that longs for the return of the beloved. Such love reflects how God longs for and welcomes our return. God watches the road for his wandering children and rejoices when they come home. Remember that God longs for your return and welcomes you with joy.

That is worth taking to heart, for the watching, hopeful love that longs for the beloved's return reflects how God himself longs for and welcomes us, as Anna watched the road for her returning son. Such watching love is a good gift among us; and it points beyond itself to God, who watches for the return of his wandering children and rejoices when they come home. God longs for your return. Remember, when you have wandered, that God watches the road for you, longing for your return and ready to welcome you with joy, as Anna welcomed her son. Treasure the watching, hopeful love that waits and longs for the return of the beloved, and remember that it reflects how God himself longs for and welcomes our return, as when Tobias came home from his long journey his mother, who had been watching the road for him, saw him coming and cried out with joy, sitting looking toward the path for her son and then telling his father, behold, your son is coming; for while her son was away on his long and uncertain journey the mother sat watching the road and longing for his return, and when at last she saw him her heart leapt with joy and she ran to tell his father, a picture of watching, waiting, hopeful love that stirs something in us and reflects something beyond itself, reflecting first the love we are given for one another, the watching love that longs for those dear to us and rejoices when they come home, a good and God-given thing, and reflecting further something of how God himself loves, since Scripture pictures God too as watching the road for the return of his wandering children and running to meet them with joy, as the father ran to the returning prodigal, so that the watching love of a parent for a child is a faint reflection of the longing love of God for us, and we do well to be moved by such love, treasuring it among one another and remembering that God so longs for and welcomes our return.