Passage of the Day:
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “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 15:11-20.
Reflection:
The character of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son possesses undying hope and a willingness to overlook youthful transgressions. As a parent, you can’t always coddle your children. At some point you have to let go which means allowing your children to fail on their own. The younger son who Jesus describes as the prodigal son wasn’t mature enough to receive his inheritance. Yet sometimes you have to learn the hard way through a series of failures. However, when your children, co-workers or friends come to their senses, you have to be mature enough to extend grace to the prodigals in your own life.
Prayerful Action:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you., Colossians 3:12-13.
Retracing Your Steps:
The hardest thing for a parent to avoid is the urge to respond to a prodigal child by saying, “I told you so” or “why didn’t you listen to me?” As Luke recounts Jesus’ story, the prodigal father appears to have been sitting out on his front porch, day after day, waiting for his son to come home. Luke doesn’t mention if the prodigal’s father was standing or sitting in a rocking chair, but his eyes were searching in the distance for his boy to come home. Subsequently, when the image of this man’s son appeared on the horizon, the father ran to greet him. This is the type of action that Jesus wants modern-day Christians to emulate today.
Song of the Day:
I was introduced to When God Ran by my high school swim coach who became my spiritual mentor. This song was played at the end of a session to drive home the grace poured out to prodigals by God. May the lyrics of Benny Hester’s song inspire you to extend grace to the prodigals in your own life.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 