3 Things to Learn from The Lost Son
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:31-32)
The parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15 is a beautiful (and pretty painful) reminder of God’s love for us. I think this one lands firmly on our hearts because we can relate. We have walked in the shoes of both and know the pain of hanging in the pig pen and working hard throughout the day.
To sum up these verses, let’s pull out five things we can learn about this parable:
Before we judge the younger son, we have to remember we are that son. He marched up to his dad and asked for ALL OF IT. Not just some to see the world, but everything. Sometimes we ask for everything without understanding the ramifications of receiving it.
The father said yes! Even though the father was hurt by the way the son treated him, he said yes. He looked past the foolishness of the request and allowed his son to learn and grow. God does the same with us. The lessons learned will help us mature in ways a “no” response cannot.
When we find ourselves knee deep in sin, we settle for less, try to fix it on our own, and wait until we can’t go any deeper to journey back home.
Our Father is waiting for us! He is eager for us to return no matter how far we’ve traveled or how long we’ve been away. He isn’t waiting to say “I told you so,” but to hug our necks and feed us full.
We can’t allow ourselves to feel threatened by another person’s relationship with the Father. Each of us are His favorite! Join in the celebration, whether you’re the one getting the ring and banquet and or the one watching from the side. Celebrate with the Father every single time!
There is a beautiful painting by Batoni (Google it. Seriously. It’s beautiful.) of the father embracing his lost son. As we close, take some time to absorb it. We see the father not only hugging his boy, but you’ll also see he is covering him with his robe. Immediately the father was working on helping the son and meeting his needs.
Curl up in your Heavenly Father’s lap today! Thank Him for the warm welcome, sweet embrace, and willingness to say yes.
By Carrie Peterson
The parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15 is a beautiful (and pretty painful) reminder of God’s love for us. I think this one lands firmly on our hearts because we can relate. We have walked in the shoes of both and know the pain of hanging in the pig pen and working hard throughout the day.
To sum up these verses, let’s pull out five things we can learn about this parable:
Before we judge the younger son, we have to remember we are that son. He marched up to his dad and asked for ALL OF IT. Not just some to see the world, but everything. Sometimes we ask for everything without understanding the ramifications of receiving it.
The father said yes! Even though the father was hurt by the way the son treated him, he said yes. He looked past the foolishness of the request and allowed his son to learn and grow. God does the same with us. The lessons learned will help us mature in ways a “no” response cannot.
When we find ourselves knee deep in sin, we settle for less, try to fix it on our own, and wait until we can’t go any deeper to journey back home.
Our Father is waiting for us! He is eager for us to return no matter how far we’ve traveled or how long we’ve been away. He isn’t waiting to say “I told you so,” but to hug our necks and feed us full.
We can’t allow ourselves to feel threatened by another person’s relationship with the Father. Each of us are His favorite! Join in the celebration, whether you’re the one getting the ring and banquet and or the one watching from the side. Celebrate with the Father every single time!
There is a beautiful painting by Batoni (Google it. Seriously. It’s beautiful.) of the father embracing his lost son. As we close, take some time to absorb it. We see the father not only hugging his boy, but you’ll also see he is covering him with his robe. Immediately the father was working on helping the son and meeting his needs.
Curl up in your Heavenly Father’s lap today! Thank Him for the warm welcome, sweet embrace, and willingness to say yes.
By Carrie Peterson
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