The Prodigal God
Dear Friends,
Do you sometimes feel discouraged by a secular world that too often seems filled with people who are quick to “wrong” others because of their greed, envy or impatience? While these wrongs are a fact of life, you can break free of the typical defensive response and respond with love, forgiveness and faith.
We are all familiar with the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-31. One son took his share of his father’s estate and squandered it with wild living. When he realized the error of his ways and was in his greatest need, he returned to his father prepared to ask for forgiveness. Yet, before he could approach him, his father ran to him with compassion and open arms, welcoming him home.
Now, the father could have looked down at his son for his selfish ways, refused to offer him help, and reproached him saying, “I told you so!” After all, the father had worked many long years to build his estate in order to leave a legacy for his children, and his son wasted that hard-earned wealth on sinful living.
Take a moment and think about what might have happened if the father had responded in the typical human way with defensive self-righteousness; it would have made the son feel even more remorse and self-loathing, and perhaps he would have left his father’s home never to return and continued on his ill-fated search for “the good life.” Instead, by responding with love and forgiveness, the father was able to rebuild a damaged relationship with his son and reunify his family.
When we’ve been wronged, it’s easy to want to explain and defend ourselves, to lash out at another to make ourselves feel justified and prove we are right. But what does that really accomplish? Now, that’s not to say that there are not times when it’s important to stand up for our beliefs and put forward our point of view on important issues that impact us, our families and our clients. Yet, more times than not, a defensive, self-righteous response simply perpetuates a combative situation, and both parties feel even more wronged and defensive… and the cycle continues.
I encourage you to take this old advice to heart – count to 10 before you respond to someone who has wronged you, so that you have the time to frame your response from a position of love and forgiveness. When has this worked for you, and created an outcome that was a more solid, healthy, joyful relationship with another person? Share your story and inspire others.
Blessings,
Ron
Thanks a lot for this encouraging message. It must be learned and trained, but it leads to a new freedom.
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Thanks for you comment Werner. This a huge, huge issue for me. Your encouragement was well received. God's timing is perfect.
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Since the father in the story of the prodigal son clearly represents our Heavenly Father, His response seen in the story must be the perfect Godly response, which is as you have pointed out one of love, compassion, forgiveness, hope, without anger, self-righteousness, or condemnation. Confession of sin by the prodigal results in immediate forgiveness by the Father.
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