Prodigal

Ever wondered if you left God, would he take you back if you returned?

This is a struggle I know all to well.  There were several times I almost left the faith, and then at one point  I really did leave.  I felt that God didn't want me anymore.  My reason for leaving was a completely emotional reason - but aren't they usually?  In my experience, EVERY person I knew who left the faith did it for purely emotional reasons.  I'm not saying there are no "logical" reasons, but I think most people who leave, leave for emotional reasons. 

When I left, though it was brief, I was honestly pretty scared.  I felt completely alone.  There was no one who could protect me from any kind of evil in the world.  Sure I had my husband, but he can only protect me from so much because he's human.  There are some things that people can't really protect you from - and there was no way I could protect myself.  I felt absolutely miserable.  This may not be how everyone feels when they leave.  Some people may feel free - like they can do whatever they want!  Normally something like that would probably make a person feel free and pretty good, I did not feel good at all.  Sure I thought, "Well, I guess I can do things now that normally I wouldn't."  My husband was pretty devastated that I had left (he's in ministry).  I think one of the things he was afraid of though was what I would do now that I had more "freedom" to do whatever I wanted.  I had morals though, it's not like I'd have an affair or anything.

In the parable of the prodigal son, he goes to his father and says "I want my inheritance now!"  In other words, he told his father, "Dad, I want what I would get if you were dead."  Can you imagine if you were a parents and your kid says, "I'd be better off if you were dead!  Give me what I would get before you die!"  In the parable, the father does give his son his inheritance.  At this point, I imagine this kid (okay, maybe a young adult?) feeling pretty smug.  So what does he do?  He travels far away from home and parties of course!  He makes a bunch of friends while throwing his money around.  Probably gets some ladies - one in each arm.  While he's gone, I imagine his father just sitting on his porch every day, waiting for his son to return home.  Maybe one of his servants asks, "Why do you sit here, waiting every day?"  The father answers, "My son will return home.  I want to be here when he comes back home."

Then a famine hits.  The kid has no more money, no more girls, and no more friends.  Everyone has abandoned him and he has nowhere he can go.  Ever feel like that?  Like everyone has left you?  Like no one has a care in the world for you?  The kid starts working on a pig farm so he can survive.  This kid was starving.  Even the food that he fed the pigs looked good enough to eat (which is pretty nasty).  He wasn't allowed to eat the pigs food though of course.  So he thought, "Maybe I should go home.  I can ask my dad if I can work for him as one of his servants.  At least I'll be fed and taken care of."  You know he had to have been pretty desperate to consider facing his father after leaving the way he did and wasting ALL his money.  So he walks home.  As he's walking home, he's probably practicing what he's going to say to his father to make sure it comes out right.  The closer he gets home, he's probably getting more anxious.  "What am I going to do if he rejects me?  What if he won't even allow me to be a servant?"

While his father is sitting on his porch (okay, it doesn't say he's on his porch, it's just an idea), he faintly sees someone heading his way.  He squints a little to see who it is, when he can make out an outline of his son.  Now you may be thinking, "He's going to be pretty pissed off seeing his son after the way he left."  No.  He recognizes his son and is filled with joy!  I imagine he jumps out of his chair and starts laughing, yelling "Woohoo!!  It's him!  It's my son!  He's returned home!"  He RUNS to his son while his son is still far off in the distance.  This is pretty interesting.  It would've been seen then as undignified for a father to run like that, but he doesn't care!  He RUNS to his son!  The kid is probably thinking, "Oh snap, he's running to scold me!"  He starts to say "Uh, dad, I wronged you in such a despicable way.  I don't deserve to be called your son.  Please, hire me as one of your serv-"  He gets cut off.  His father embraces him tightly, kissing his cheek, perhaps even in tears, "My son!  You've come home!"  He yells for one of his servants.  His servant gets there and he says "Hurry and get the best clothes we have for him!  While you're at it, give him a ring and some good shoes!  Oh, and kill the calf we've been fattening!  We are going to celebrate because my son was once dead, but is now alive!  He was once lost, but is now found!"

No matter where you are in your life, no matter what you've done, your Heavenly Father loves you and wants you.  He is waiting for you.  He isn't wanting to condemn anyone to hell.  Despite what some people think, he's not just this Zues-like God who's just waiting to smite people.  In fact, he says quite the opposite!



"Do you think that I would like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD.  Of course not!  I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live."

Ezekiel 8:23



He doesn't like seeing people die!  Not. One. Single. Person.  He doesn't enjoy punishing people.  Where we get this idea that he's just waiting to punish people, I have no idea.  This doesn't mean he doesn't punish though.  A good parent will punish their child when their child does something wrong.  They don't enjoy doing that; so why would anyone think a perfect Father would enjoy doing that?

Anyway, he's waiting for you; and when you turn to him through Jesus, he RUNS to you!  We're not talking about just any father, we're talking about the King!  We're talking about the God who created the galaxy!  He runs to you, and has so much joy that you have come to him (or returned to him like in the story of the prodigal son).  He loves you so much; so, SO MUCH!  He wants to embrace you and kiss you, and say "My son has come to me!" or "My daughter has come to me!"Go to him, he wants you 😁