Two Sons--the Same only Different

I recently heard a speaker say that the prodigal son found everything he had been looking for when he returned to his Father's house. I had to ponder that a bit.

Seems to me that the runaway son was looking for love, a sense of significance and, dare I say, fun? He exhausted himself and his resources without finding lasting satisfaction. Until he returned to his Father's house, that is.

The older brother never left, but seemed to have the same hunger. He was existing right in the middle of all that he craved, but he was living like he still needed to earn it. It was his Father's desire for him to know he was loved and significant. His Father longed to for him to enjoy their relationship, to live in joyful celebration.

Many live like one or the other of these boys. Some are in constant pursuit of pleasure and significance from the stuff of this world. It's an insatiable hunger that never gets satisfied. Others sit in their Father's house never knowing that all He has is already theirs--they don't need to earn it. They are hollow-eyed with hunger as they sit in the presence of plenty

It's when you know that you are the beloved, treasured child of your Father that you find significance and contentment. We need to stayed tucked in close to Him to keep that awareness fresh in our minds...otherwise, we seem to wander and begin to search for it elsewhere. When we really know it we're not so quite so devastated when others don't recognized how lovable and significant we are. When we really know it life becomes fun.

Look into His face and you will see that you are loved--no matter what you may have done or not done. You can't earn it, and you can't lose it.

The Lord your God is with you;

His power gives you victory.

The Lord will take delight in you,

and in his love he will give you new life.

He will sing and be joyful over you...

(Zephaniah 3:17)

You can find the whole story of the two sons in Luke 15:11-31.

The God Who Runs to Meet Us

My husband's been practicing a song that he'll soon sing in church called When God Ran. Every time I listen to it I get choked up. The song is inspired by the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and it talks about how the Father ran to embrace His runaway son when the son returned to Him. I've become overwhelmed with the message of love in that action.

The son left his Father's house and spent all that his Father had given to him for his own pleasure. Eventually, he squandered everything he had and was living in the most pitiful condition. The son was in dire straights, but waited until he was completely out of options before returning to his Father. I can only imagine his sense of shame. If I was in his shoes, I would have been dreading the (deserved) anger of the Father. In fact, I have been in his shoes and that's exactly how I felt.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that the son "came to his senses" (hurray for coming to our senses!!) and decided to return to his Father's house. Prior to returning, he carefully rehearses an apology. He heads for home and before he has a chance to apologize, his Father sees him coming and "filled with love and compassion, He ran to His son, embraced him, and kissed him." The Father didn't wait for for the son to crawl into His presence. The son didn't have to do penance or prove the sincerity of his repentance. He moved in the direction of the Father and the Father ran to meet him!

That's how your Papa feels about you. His longing for connection with you is so great that when you turn to Him, He runs to meet you. He's filled with love and compassion. He wants to embrace you.

It's really hard for us in our humanness to comprehend such a love. I've recently learned that this misconception starts early in our human experience. One of my children was telling me about something that happened to them. It was a really special thing and it was obvious to me right away that it was a gift from their heavenly Daddy. I told them that I thought God was telling them how much He loves them. The first response was awe and wonder, but almost immediately doubt popped in. I questioned this and the response was, "I don't think so." I was genuinely surprised and confused. I had to press a bit for an explanation and then came the whispered confession, "I don't think He'd tell me He loves me because I have a bad word stuck in my head." I wanted to weep.

I was also really mad. Stinkin' mad. It's so obvious that this lie of being unloved is just that--a stinkin', rotten lie. Our Father loves us. He loved us before we ever did one thing right. And there is nothing that can separate us from His love. Nothing. Does He desire repentance? Absolutely. Whenever we break His laws, we bring pain into our lives and, being a good Papa, He doesn't want to see us hurt. He wants us to surrender our lives to Him because it will bring us joy and peace.

We don't have to "journey to a far country" or "live wildly" as the prodigal son did to believe this lie. Little lies can creep in that we've disappointed our Father. It can be any number of things. After all, there is an enemy who is actively trying to steal our joy.

If you're not feeling the love, ask your Papa to show you the lie you've been believing. He will. In fact, He'll run to meet you!

"I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you."

Isaiah 46:4