Parents, suppose your child came to you one day saying, "I know you're gonna drop dead one day, so whatever you have for me, give it to me now!"? I'd be furious & would make sure that child wouldn't get a dime...(an ungrateful...he/she got some nerve...as much as I've done for him/her!!!) Do you feel me? These thoughts crossed my mind while I was reading about the prodigal son (Luke 15). For those who haven't read it, in this story the father was hurt by his son's demands but he gave him what he wanted, and as soon as he got his share, his son took off; walking out of his father's life to experience the world! This gives us a perfect example of a rebellious, disrespectful child, and I'm sure his father was probably brokenhearted and shed many tears over his son's foolish behavior. Then it hit me slap in the face...I can see God's character in this story; God is a loving father who lets his children (Christians) walk away from fellowship with Him, and it breaks His heart when we do...yet He's still our Father!!!!!!!!
You see, God loves us so much that He'll never force us to be obedient and loyal to Him; He wants us to freely love & serve Him. Sometimes when we mess us real bad, we have the nerve to blame Him..."if what I did was so wrong, why didn't God stop me?" Well, God didn't stop Adam & Eve from eating the forbidden fruit, nor did He stop King David from having an adulterous affair with Bathsheba. The reason being...it's not in His nature! God loves us so much, He allows us to make our own choices, even though He knows the consequences of the bad choices. And, just as the prodigal son's father grieved when he left, God (our Father) grieves when one of us walks out of fellowship with Him.
I know some of you readers are prodigal parents who have children/grandchildren who've caused you the same kind of pain felt by the father in this story. You know first hand what it's like to have grown children alienate themselves from you...and it hurts! When they were little, you could discipline them, but now you only feel the pain. NEWS FLASH...God hurts even the more because the greater your capacity to love, the greater the capacity to be hurt; and God's love is stronger than ours therefore, His pain is greater!
Now here's the good news that I want to share with you. As the prodigal father accepted his son back showing no anger towards him, so does God the Father welcome back those who've gone astray and drifted out of fellowship with Him. And He'll treat you as if you never left because His love for you never changed. Reading this story for yourself will give you a clearer picture of our God---
He regrets our rebellion; He receives us with open arms
when we return, and He restores us when we repent!
A final word for all you prodigal parents & grandparents out there; your child may be distant from you because of rebellion, disagreements, a sinful lifestyle, a bad relationship, etc. But whatever the reason, they will realize their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. You just be ready to restore you relationship with them...show them the God in you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. You might have to do some repenting yourself (Selah)!
Very appropos in today's cultures for sure. How many times I can count where I've "messed up" especially with my own family. I have to seek His forgiveness constantly anf everday I wake up. I also pray that Ragini (Wife) is not damaged by my wrong choices, etc. Thank you for sharing, and Blessings to you and your family.
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