THE PRODIGAL SON
Most of us know the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. There is a rich man with two sons. The younger son decided he'd had enough living by dad's rules and asked for his inheritance and promptly took off with it to make his fame and fortune. He ended up squandering it and living in horrible conditions only to realize he had it so much better at home. He didn't pretend to think he could waltz right back in and take his place as the rich heir, but thought about the fact that his fathers servants lived much better than what his current circumstances were offering him. So tail tucked between his legs, he went back home to beg his dad to just be a servant for the house. But his father, when he got close enough to see him off in the distances, rushed to make a great celebration for him. His father understood that his son had lost his way, but had finally found his way back home.
Some of us have been this prodigal child, and some of us have this prodigal child. How heartbreaking it is when we see our children lose their way. Some of us raised our children in the church and some of us are pastors. Looking at this parable, it's rich with lessons. I see from the father an aspect of tough love, but unconditional love. We don't get the back story on this, but I'm sure there were many conversations the father had with the son before the son took off. I'm sure much wisdom and his own life lessons were given to the son, but it looks like the son is one of those who has to try for himself. I find it interesting that the father gave his son the money and let him go. I'm not saying this is the best idea, but for some with children old enough, sometimes there's nothing we can do but let them go knowing we did our best. We cling to the PROMISE of God in Proverbs 22:6 that if we train up our children in the way they should go, that when they are older, they will not depart from it. Can I stop here and encourage someone with these words? If you raised your child to love God, God will keep reminding them of that. How comforting is it to know that God has got this situation long before it even happened?
The father welcomed him back with open arms. Unconditional love is a wonderful thing. To show our kids this is such a security blanket for them. To know that there is nothing too much for them to do that they wouldn't have our love. I know some people who watched their son detox from an overdose. He was saying to them while sobbing, "You'll never forgive me! You're going to hate me after this!" I love how they patiently reminded him he could never lose their love, that they weren't going anywhere and were in this with him. What a gift they gave to him! Unconditional love doesn't mean there aren't consequences, even for forgiven sins. It means that we don't have to do anything to deserve that love. I need to remind myself of this. Do my children feel like I've put conditions on them that I love them by? If you do this, then I'll love you. It may not be what I said, but is that how they are feeling? I always want to make sure my kids know that I will love them in and through anything in their lives.
The Father didn't try to hide the fact that his son had rebelled. I'm sure when the son came walking up, he didn't look that great. He didn't rush him into the house and pretend nothing was going on. The father RAN to him and threw a big party to welcome him home. In today's world, we value what other people think too much. Are we embarrassed by what others are going to think? We are Christians, we are pastors and our children are rebellious. How embarrassing if it ever leaked out to our friends, our neighbors, our congregations. Do you think God is embarrassed of you? We all have sinned and thank God for His forgiveness!! But He sent His Son to die for us knowing what we would do. I think we sometimes shame our children not for what they do but for how it will look on us. I'm not saying they shouldn't feel remorse for their sins, but we need to make sure it's for their good and not our own.
The father was always watching, which I think equates to always praying. Are we as parents setting aside time to pray for our children? If you have young children, start praying for them now. Pray that God will protect them from the wrong kind of people and bring the right kind of people in their lives. Pray that God will speak into their lives in a real way that they can see and understand. Pray that you, as their parent, can listen fully to them so they feel like they are being heard. I tell my kids when they have concerns or big decisions they are trying to make...yeah, but you have a praying mom. I feel like that outweighs anything.
If you have a child today that is far from God, remember that they can run but they can't find from Him. I wrote earlier that the son came home ashamed, but his father....let's replace that with BUT GOD... Is anything beyond God's healing power? NO! God loves them more than we possible can, even in the midst of their beautifully broken life.
Something David Ennis told me about God’s promises was this: God’s promise and God’s clarity are separate, so that you will seek him and that your faith and need for His peace will increase. If clarity and promise were a package deal then we would probably forsake God. Instead, He graciously hides His promise in obscurity.
ReplyDeleteIf there’s a prodigal son out there, trust in His promises though you may not have clarity. Instead, cling to Him & pray w/o ceasing (be on the lookout).