*The Prodigal Son* "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20, NIV). *He ran.* In ancient Middle Eastern culture, respectable older men never ran. It was undignified, beneath their status. Running meant lifting your robes, exposing your legs, becoming an object of ridicule. Yet the father runs. *He publicly humiliates himself. He sacrifices his dignity.* Why? Because he understood his son was walking through dangerous territory—not just physically, but emotionally. The territory of shame, vulnerability, fear of rejection. And *the father knew someone had to take the first step into that vulnerable space.*