When I was is my late teens, early twenties I was very lost. Figuratively of course. I could tell you where I was physically, but mentally I had no idea how I ended up there and seemingly kept making wrong turns! I was trying to figure things out on my own, running from mistakes while making more mistakes. I wasn’t sure who I was anymore and wasn’t convinced it was worth finding out.
My poor parents. They had no idea. Within a 4 year span I had gone to a Junior College, partied, somehow graduated, enrolled in a bachelor’s program, changed my mind, disenrolled, decided to move to Florida, partied, decided to moved to Virginia, partied some more, enrolled in another University and started taking classes, and then decided I wanted to move home. I told my parents my decision to return to Massachusetts during a brief trip home. It came out of no where and surprised us all, including me. Although I didn’t have a well formed plan I was still shocked when my father said “No”. You may be reading this and thinking “She is an adult, she doesn’t need his permission”. But the fact was I was a very immature adult who could not support herself, and had already wasted a lot of her parents money. So, yes, I needed his permission to come live at home and needed his money to do so. My father had every right to say no and as hurt as I was, I understood. He wanted me to finally stick to something and see it through, which at the time was college.
As I was waiting to board my flight back to Richmond my Father came running (literally) through the gates and into the boarding area (yes, there was a time when family and friends could walk to the boarding gate with you)! It was right out of a movie. My dad was running toward me, hoping he would not be too late and when he reached me he said, “Of course, you can come home!” There was hugging and crying and I had never felt so loved before. My father was giving me another chance. I flew back to Virginia and started packing my things immediately.
Every time I read The Parable of the Lost Son, also known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son, I get chills and think of my own father welcoming me home. I was the lost daughter. If you haven’t read the parable before, I urge you to do so. You can find it in Luke 15:11-32. In summary, there is a father and 2 sons. One of the sons, the younger, asks his father for his inheritance early, takes it and squanders it all away. When he can no longer survive on his own, he goes home. The father is overjoyed that his son has returned and celebrates with music and a feast. The second brother is bitter. He, after all, has remained by his father’s side, doing everything that has been asked of him and yet he has never received such a celebration. We then hear the father say to the second son, (verse 32) “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Jesus told this parable in response to the Pharisees and teachers of the law complaining about him welcoming sinners and eating with them. God’s compassion for the sinner is boundless and when the sinner repents He rejoices.
Like the father in the parable, God welcomes us with open arms and loves us unconditionally. Verse 20 says “But while [the returning son] 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.” I recently read The Return of The Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri Nouwen. In the book Nouwen uses the parable, Rembrandt’s famous painting of The Return of The Prodigal Son and reflections from his own life to illustrate what it means to be loved as the two sons were and how to love as the father did. In the book Nouwen explained that culturally, at the time Jesus told the parable, if a son asked for his inheritance early it was akin to wishing his father dead. Imagine this son. After taking his father’s money and breaking his father’s heart in the process, squandering the money recklessly, and falling into desperation, his only option for survival is to return to his father and ask for forgiveness. He most likely spent the journey home thinking of his sins, wishing he never got himself into this situation, wondering how he was going to ask for forgiveness and hoping for even the slightest measure of acceptance. But before the journey was even completed, he was greeted by a father running towards him with open arms and a compassionate embrace. Nouwen wrote, “Not only does the father forgive without asking questions and joyfully welcome his lost son home, but he cannot wait to give him new life, life in abundance”. This is how God welcomes us home to Him.
Years ago I was in a Bible Study. I can’t remember if we were talking about this particular parable or another part of scripture, but the message was similar. I remember speaking about the “gift of joy” I felt God had blessed me with when I finally gave my life to Him, asked for and then accepted His forgiveness. A woman in the group explained, with some disappointment, that she had never felt that “gift of joy” I was expressing. She told us she had always known and followed God and felt His presence in her life but she had never experienced that defining moment I had. Sure, she has sinned and made poor decisions once in a while, that’s human nature, but she never rebelled against her parents, drank to excess or went against her morals. She was like the other son in the story. The older son who couldn’t understand why his brother, who behaved so badly, would deserve to be celebrated upon his return when he, the good brother, had stayed with his father and did everything the way he was supposed to. To this son the father said (verse 31) “My son you are always with me, and everything I have is yours”. The story my friend shared at Bible Study has stayed with me. Maybe because of the irony I see in it. I, a sinner who can relate to the prodigal son was received by God with open arms, and experienced the gift of joy, forgiveness and acceptance. My wise friend lived a good and prosperous life but felt she was missing out on receiving God’s gift. The irony is, she always had all of God’s gifts. As I see it, one difference was that I didn’t open the gift until I realized how much I needed the Giver in my life.
Whether you can relate to the younger son or the older son, I hope you know that God loves you both the same. His gift’s of joy, hope, love, grace and forgiveness are for us all. If you have yet to turn your life over to Him, I can promise He will be rejoicing when you do! Please reach out if you want to learn more.
Love, Melissa
When things seem out of your control, it’s good to remember that God is in control! I love Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” I hope you will join me next week as I reflect on this verse.
Melissa Pillone Speaks 