"While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him;
he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
Luke 15:20
I
just love the story of the Prodical Son. For the longest, my heart
went out to the older brother who stayed home, worked hard and didn't
cause his father any trouble......cause at one time, that was me.
When
I was a teenager, my older brother who was 17, was enrolled in a church
boarding school 10 hours away when he found himself in a heap of
trouble. I won't go into what he did, but suffice it to say, he got
kicked out of school. While he was driving himself the 500 miles home,
my mother and father were busy making a gigantic sign to place in the
yard that said "Welcome Home, Son". When I drove up in my Chevy Vega
from school that day and saw that sign, I was furious. I couldn't
understand why my parents were welcoming this good-for-nothing,
troublemaker prodical son of their's, home with open arms. They barely
acknowledged me; they just continued looking out the front window for
him to drive up. I just didn't get it.
Many
years later while talking to my Dad about this incident, I asked him
why he welcomed my brother home without even a hint of anger and
disgust. I'll never forget how he looked up, as if his mind was
rewinding back to that time, and told me that he and Mom were so afraid
that James would not return home that night...they feared they might
never see or hear from him again. They wanted to make sure he knew how
loved he was even with the mistakes he had made.....and he was forgiven.
It
was a modern day Prodical Son story. I admire my folks 1000x more now
than I did then cause, you see, my brother turned out to be one of the
most spiritual people I've ever met....no doubt because of the love and
forgiveness of that day many years ago.
And
a book I'm sure we've all read to our children and grandchildren at
some time, says it even better than I can and goes something like this:
RUNAWAY BUNNY
Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.
So he said to his mother, “I am running away.”
“If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you.
For you are my little bunny.”
“If you run after me,” said the little bunny,
“I will become a fish in a trout stream
and I will swim away from you.”
“If you become a fish in a trout stream,” said his mother,
“I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you.”
“If you become a fisherman,” said the little bunny,
“I will become a rock on the mountain, high above you.”
“If you become a rock on the mountain high above me,”
said his mother, “I will become a mountain climber,
and I will climb to where you are.”
“If you become a mountain climber,”
said the little bunny,
“I will be a crocus in a hidden garden.”
“If you become a crocus in a hidden garden,”
said his mother, “I will be a gardener. And I will find you.”
“If you are a gardener and find me,”
said the little bunny, “I will be a bird
and fly away from you.”
“If you become a bird and fly away from me,”
said his mother, “I will be a tree that you come home to.”
“If you become a tree,” said the little bunny,
“I will become a little sailboat,
and I will sail away from you.”
“If you become a sailboat and sail away from me,”
said his mother, “I will become the wind
and blow you where I want you to go.”
“If you become the wind and blow me,” said the little bunny,
“I will join a circus and fly away on a flying trapeze.”
“If you go flying on a flying trapeze,” said his mother,
“I will be a tightrope walker,
and I will walk across the air to you.”
“If you become a tightrope walker and walk across the air,”
said the bunny, “I will become a little boy
and run into a house.”
“If you become a little boy and run into a house,”
said the mother bunny, “I will become your mother
and catch you in my arms and hug you.”
“Shucks,” said the bunny, “I might just as well
stay where I am and be your little bunny.”
And so he did.
“Have a carrot,” said the mother bunny.
Thank God we have a Father who will go to the ends of the earth to forgive us, love us and welcome us home.
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