Sinful desires destroy. They destroy the very essence of who you are. Drugs. Lust. Pride. Anger. Unforgiveness.
Acid to your soul. Eating away at who you are while leaving behind a barely recognizable shell of the person you once were. Pain. Decay. Anger. Disappointment. Lies. Frustration. Blame.
A glimmer of desire for different is there. I can see it. A faded glimmer. Unfortunately the darkness overwhelms the flicker of light trying to find its way. Driven by desperation. Desperation to deny the reality of where you are. Fear of what they say to be true. And you just don’t know where to turn or what to do so this can become a bad memory. A chapter in your book of life that belongs in the first section. As you move beautifully into the second half. But how.
How do you find your way. Where do you begin. What is the next step. Just that one next step. So much has happened. So much hurt has been done. The bridge is broken across a hole in your heart the size of the Grand Canyon. Is it even able to be repaired. The spoonful of dirt doesn’t seem to be making much head way. Actually it just feels like sand rubbing the wound.
The Prodigal. Luke 15
I’ve read like many of you the story of the prodigal son in the Bible. I’ve marveled at the love of the Father to welcome his son home with open arms and celebration. That’s where much of my focus has been. I’ve found it touching to think of the demonstration of love full of forgiveness and likened it to my own deep love for my children. Surely I would welcome them home with the same enthusiasm. Wouldn’t I…
Lately I’ve thought about the rest of the story. The Bible describes the son reaching his lowest point in life before he came home. Low enough that his desire for returning was to just be welcomed back as a servant on his Father’s land. Because living his life out as a servant was better than whatever circumstance he’d found himself in.
What was that low point. How did it look. Homeless. Hungry. Hurting. Tired. What was it that drove him to move past pride, hurt, shame, or anger. To go home. Willing to merely be a servant. How low is that low.
But there’s more. So much more to the story we don’t know. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the longing in the Fathers heart for his son’s return. Sure, it tells us he looked for him daily. But, did he gaze into the distance with tear filled eyes. How long did he watch. A few minutes. Hours. Did he cry. Or just glance.
Did the Father know the trouble his son was in. Did he stand firm. Deliver tough love. Or did he send help from time to time anonymously. With good intention. But we know that’s not really help at all. Did he fast. Pray. Pace. Worry. Feel guilty for his joy. Wonder how he had peace in this storm. Just how did he give it to God. Enough so that when his son returned he welcomed him with love, forgiveness, and celebration.
Timing
This is the part of the story I find most telling of the glory of God.
The son left. The father knew he would return. He just didn’t know when or what it would take for him to be ready to come back. But he knew that one day he would look for his son to find him coming home. And when he did he would be ready.
Which meant his heart had to be in a place of readiness. He had to give his son and the circumstance to God in order to release the burden and get ready for the gift of the return.
The return of the prodigal is perfect and beautiful. Healing. Loving. Warm. Beautiful. When the timing is right and Gods work has been done in the heart of the Father and the prodigal. Both are then ready to receive the blessing.
We, myself included, try so hard to rush the timing of our blessing before it’s been perfected by the hands of the master. God says to have patient endurance as we await his promise (Hebrews 6:15). Patient endurance means that I continue to do good, pray, praise, work for the kingdom, and patiently wait upon the perfect timing of the Lord.
Friend, hold out for the perfect timing of the Lord for the prodigal you burden for. Allow him to do his work in you and them. Then in his perfect time welcome back the prodigal with love, forgiveness, and celebration. The same Jesus did for you when you returned home to your Heavenly Father.
Friend, if you are the prodigal; come home. Your Father awaits you. With open loving, forgiving, and celebrating arms.
Bobbie
