Gimmie Mine!

Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

“So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to feel it. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.” (Luke 11-16 The Message)

A major milestone in development comes in the toddler stage. It’s the “MINE” milestone. Toys? MINE! Remote control? MINE! Can of soup from the pantry? MINE! They don’t care about the item; they are just learning to define possession.

Enter the second born son of a very rich man. Even full grown, he still lived in a world of MINE! Since he was the youngest brother, the law would have assured he was given one-third of the Father’s estate upon his passing. It wasn’t about how the parents drew up their will, but a governmental statute. He would have been taken care of… but not everything he tagged as “MINE!” was his.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume he was loved and cared for in the moment and would continue to be… but this wasn’t enough. He wanted his share NOW. He felt he could do it on his own… well, with his pockets lined with his daddy’s money. So, he asked for it. Gimmie mine, dad!

Was he selfish? Rebellious? Angry? Maybe all three, we don’t know for sure, which means, that’s not the point. He asked for it, got it, and packed a bag. He was anxious to spread his wings and see all the world had to offer. And he did. No more living in the shadow of his dad and big brother! He was going to live it up. Unfortunately, this didn’t include saving or budgeting. The fortune he received was wasted; and pretty quickly, the money ran out. A famine hit the country where he was living, and the circumstances turned desperate.

For the first time in his life, he was going to have to find a job. Maybe all the freedom and worldly fun wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Have you wrestled through a season of craving worldly wants only to find yourself desperate? Take time today to pray with your heavenly Father about that season.

By Carrie Peterson