Prodigal

Prodigal

Last month, I wrote about Samuel’s mother, Hannah. Today, I’d like to look at the prodigal son’s father.

When you hear the word prodigal, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Wayward? Lost? Wasteful? Foolish?

What about repentant?

Two ways Webster’s defines prodigal are:

1: one who spends or gives lavishly and foolishly
2: one who has returned after an absence

For me, when I think of a prodigal, I think of our Beagle/Black Lab-mix puppy, Buckshot.

Prodigal Puppy

Buckshot was just a puppy when he dug under the wooden fence in our backyard for the first and only time. Even though I looked in the yard for him, it wasn’t until I called his name that I heard his whimper. That’s when I noticed the freshly dug hole under the fence. He had escaped to the field behind the house.

By the time I reached Buckshot, he was sitting with his back pressed against the outside of our wooden fence. His head was tilted upward, and his pitiful Beagle howl pierced the silence. Caught in the brambles, my prodigal puppy was trapped. Buckshot couldn’t get to me, even if he wanted to. He watched as I made my way through the thorns and underbrush to reach him. Once he was safe in my arms, Buckshot ceased his cries, relaxed his body, and snuggled close.

My puppy wanted his freedom. He wanted to leave the confines of our yard. Mainly, though, he wanted to explore what was on the other side of our fence. Unaware of the brambles and thorns that waited for him beyond the safety of our yard, Buckshot wanted to experience the world beyond our fence on his own.

After he managed to escape, however, he was unable to figure out how to undo what he’d done. Our prodigal puppy found himself in a sticky situation he couldn’t remedy on his own. Much like the prodigal son in the parable Jesus told, things didn’t work out the way Buckshot planned.

Prodigal Son

The parable of the Prodigal Son in the Gospels speaks of someone with a similar mindset as Buckshot. This youngest son wanted to escape the confines of life with his father and brother. He wanted to explore the world on the other side of the land.

Although the prospect of a different life seemed appealing, the young man was not prepared for the brambles and thorns that entangled him. In his distress, he cried out. After he realized his mistake, the prodigal decided to return home.

Faithful Father

While the son was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. At the sight of his long-lost son, the father was filled with loving pity. He ran as fast as he could, reached his son, embraced and kissed him.

While he was still a long distance away, his father saw him.

The only way I figure the father could see his son coming from a long distance away would be if the father kept vigil day and night. Waiting. Watching. Hoping. Praying. All so his son would come home. And then, as soon as he spotted his wandering son in the distance, the father hiked up his robe and went running.

Something we need to understand in this story is the fact that no respectable Jewish man, regardless of the cause, would run like this. Let lone draw up his robe to his knees to allow him the ability to run in the first place. All so he could meet his long-lost son.

What About Us?

I imagine some of us, at some point in time, have taken a step or two away from God. We may not have asked for our inheritance, left home, and squandered what we’ve been given to the extent the son in Jesus’ parable did, but it’s probably safe to say we’ve done things that distanced us from God. Perhaps it was our lies, our gossip, our temper, our coarse language, or our refusal to forgive, that distanced us from God. In distancing our self from God, we grieved him.

It could be that, like Buckshot and the Prodigal Son, we wanted our freedom from the confines of the perimeter God set for us in the Bible describing how we are to live. Perhaps we felt constricted. We longed to explore what was on the other side of the fence that hemmed us in.

We might have run away from God but in our leaving, we ran into brambles and thorns that snarled and entangled us. In our distress, we cried out. And the Father, who never stopped watching for us, heard our cries. He came to where we were, wrapped us in his loving arms, and told us how very much we were missed.

It’s Never Too Late

No matter how entangled in the brambles and thorns, or how far we might wander, it’s never too late to say, Father, I have sinned.

Remember. Webster’s definition of prodigal also means one who has returned.

But what if we aren’t the wanderer, and we’re the father instead? What if there is someone in our life we love who we keep vigil for? Now, we’re on the other side. We’re the ones waiting, watching, hoping, and praying for their return.

Whichever side of the fence we might find ourselves on, there is comfort in the fact that Jesus loves each of us with an everlasting love. His is a love that yearns for a relationship with us. Jesus keeps vigil, watching for our return. His arms are always open wide.

Who do you identify with the most right now? The prodigal? Or the father?

I wish you well.

Sandy