In Luke 15 is a story about the Prodigal Son. This young man asks for his inheritance and then takes it and leaves home. He spends time in the world sowing his wild oats and wasting his substance. After he has nothing left, a famine comes to the country he is living in and he's reduced to living off what he can fight away from the pigs that he now feeds. The story has a happy ending when he finally realizes that he can go home.
The main focus of the story is about the Prodigal Son. But, I want to focus on the Prodigal's Father.
Luke 15:11-13- And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
I wonder if he got angry? Or if he blamed himself, thinking he should have done a better job? Did he want to find his son and threaten him or beg him to return? I'm wager when the Prodigal left the father went through various stages before he came to the place where he could accept the son back with open arms. I'm sure he probably went through all of these feelings multiple times.
No where in the story does it say what he was feeling while the son was gone. No where does it say that he knew where his son was or what he was up to. It doesn't even tell us how long he waited for his son to return.
It also doesn't tell us that he did anything wrong as a parent. I wonder if other people who knew the Prodigal had left pondered whether the father was at fault in anyway.
Many Christian parents today are finding themselves in the Prodigal father's shoes. They question if it's their fault. They wonder whether they should threaten or beg the Prodigal home. They doubt their self worth and their calling in the ministry. Others around them may ponder these things.
But, God's calling isn't based upon how their children respond. Christ never tells us that the Prodigal's father failed at his job as a parent. He never criticizes the father, though I'm sure the father questioned himself.
The Prodigal father's and mother's out there are going through a lot! They have their own flesh blaming them, the have the devil accusing them, and there are Holier-than-thou Christian's out there that want to bash the parents of the Prodigal. The Prodigal's decisions don't determine the father's worth! Adam and Eve had God as their father and they lived in a perfect environment, and they still sinned. Quit blaming the father (or mother)!
Mark 4:24- And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
You never know if you may find yourself in the Prodigal father's shoes one day. It could be you sitting on the porch looking up the road hoping that your wandering child comes back someday.
For those who need comfort while going through this, just coming out of it, or if you want to know how to help someone during this troubled time in their life, please visit the following pages:
When Life Hurts
Have I Failed God?
Letting Go & Letting God
Forgiveness
When Life Starts To Make Some Sense Again
