Marriage & FamilySample

The mislabelled Bible story

The prodigal son story used to irritate me. I felt disgust for the younger son who squandered his birthright on wild living and disastrous life choices, and I resented the envious older brother for being so self-absorbed. In truth, my revulsion bubbled up out of my own guilt. Their brokenness was mine, so I hid behind a literal reading of the story. After all, I had never incinerated a family fortune on the bonfire of my vanities or resented the return of a long-lost sibling.

My wife and I are tumbling through the joys and challenges of parenting teenagers. We’re grappling with no longer being our children’s first choice for wisdom and advice. Our voices still matter; however, we are now double-checked against social media and the apparent superior wisdom of their peers. We’ve also come to understand the prodigal father’s heartache as our children choose their paths over ours.

These days I adore the prodigal son story because it’s actually about a patient, praying, and forgiving parent. It’s the story of a parent’s love for two wayward children: one lost to the world, the other to envy and anger. It’s a story of unwarranted grace and forgiveness. I’m humbled by the father’s welcome-home for his son– free of anger, judgement, or ‘I-told-you-so’.

Today our Father in heaven is waiting to joyfully welcome us home. All that remains is for us to admit that we are all prodigal children in need of our Father’s love.

Written by DWAYNE JEFFRIES