The Prodigal Son

I have always harbored a secret resentment toward the parable of the Prodigal Son.  I have always been the goodie-goodie and it never seemed fair that the one son got to go out and have all the “fun” and then come back and get a party.  I totally got where the older brother was coming from!  I would get so frustrated reading this story because I would think, they chose to go away from God, chose to go out partying and now they want to come back?  What about the one that had been true?  What about the good ones that have been here the whole time?  Why don’t we get a party?  Why don’t we get the robe and the fattened calf?  Now don’t get me wrong, I am always happy when someone comes back into the will of God, and overjoyed when a lost soul gets saved, but for some reason, I would get so mad because I was being selfish. 

Well, I was thinking all this until last night when God put on my heart something heavy.  As I blogged about yesterday, we have a little 4-year old friend who is in the PICU.  My heart is breaking for him.  He is so sick and his parents are watching over him every step of the way.  He is a strong little man, but it is so scary to read some of the updates and hear some of what they are going through.  Last night as I was praying for him, I had a vision of his parents walking him into a huge room and hundreds of people that have been praying for him were there, we were all so excited to see him.  There was a huge party.  His big brother and little sister danced and partied because they had their brother back.  There wasn’t bitterness, there wasn’t sadness on their part, they were just happy to have their brother back and have him healthy again. 

Sin is a sickness.  It is a terrible sickness.  When someone goes off the deep-end and is being ridiculous and being out of God’s will, God is watching them.  He is at their bed-side sitting there, praying.  Many people that don’t even know that person are already praying for them.  When they start to recover and get better, God is watching, he is looking out for his son and is ready and waiting to throw him the biggest welcome home, so glad you are better, party ever. 

In the story – in Luke 15:28-32  ²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 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.’”  (The Message)

All of us- as their brothers and sisters in Christ should want to celebrate with them because we are so happy that their sickness is over.  We should want to rejoice because they were at the brink of death and rebounded, came back and came home to be with us.  Now we have our brother/sister back.  We have a friend, companion and confidant back.  Their story might be a little “better” than mine, but my story, being tried and true to God, is just as good because I want to be sitting, watching, waiting, praying, just like my friends are over their sick little boy. 

Again, I have always rejoiced when someone came to the Lord.  I have always rejoiced when one that was lost was found, but I never understood how I should or would be celebrating it before.