My Son, My Wayward Son

Luke 15: 21-24 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.  And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

As a parent there are times when I have to sit in amazement with some of the things my sons have participated in. Some things they have carried out make me intensely proud. And some of their activities leave me profoundly disappointed.  Yet through all of these trials and tribulation, I love my sons and I make sure they know that is the case regardless of how foolishly they act. After all, my parents did the same for me. It is just part of the circle of life.

As a parent we want our sons to be successful, to be followers of Jesus Christ, and to not make the same mistakes we made.  That leaves an awful lot open to happen that will just plain amaze us.  There have been times when I have been dumbfounded at what my sons have managed to be involved in. It appears that logic has not been a major component in their thought processes. And I can hear my own father saying the very same thing about me at times in my life. The parable of the prodigal son, from Luke 15: 21-24, hits very close to home for many parents. None of us is perfect, and we all have made mistakes. When we compare our lives against the life of Jesus Christ we can see just how imperfect we really are. The wayward son returning to his father, humiliated and humbled is how it often can be with our own sons. When we as parents want so desperately to be proud of our sons, there are just times when we simply cannot.  We desperately want to offer the same words from Luke 3:22 the Father of Jesus shared at Jesus’ baptism. “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  But, there will be times when that cannot be what you say.  I will offer that what you can say is half of Luke 3:22. “You are my beloved Son” will tell your sons that in spite of their mistakes your love for them does not end. And just as important they need to be told that the love of their Father in Heaven does not end. His Son died on the cross for the forgiveness of all their sins. Our sons must not lose heart or lose faith that they are forgiven. And that is a message that needs to be shared often with our sons in good times and in bad times.  One last thing if you will. When your sons come to you give them a hug. There may be a time when they need one, and you cannot be there to give them one. That memory will be all that each of you have to hold on to.

PRAYER: Lord, Your Son lived a perfect life. We, who are imperfect are humbled by his life., death, and resurrection. We are even humbled more so by the sure and certain knowledge that we are loved by You and are forgiven through the sacrifice of that Perfect Son. We give thanks for Your love. Amen