The Amazing Father and The Poverty Brothers

Ever notice how Jesus’ parable in Luke 15:11-32 is referred to as “The Lost Son” or “The Prodigal Son”?  I think it’s truly misnamed.  Jesus never named it that.  People all too often focus primarily on the son who asked for his inheritance and went away spending it all in “wild” living and began to starve with the pigs, deciding it would be better to return to his dad and offer to work as a servant than to die. 

Recently, I was in that “in-between” state of not fully asleep and not fully awake and had a sort of waking dream come to me about this parable.  I had not been reading it recently, but Papa many times slips in dreams in my waking hours that are startling to me and shed light on things I have not seen previously. 

In my dream – the familiar story line of the younger son and his request of his father came to me, but it was highlighted a little differently.  The son knew he was due an inheritance and foolishly did not value it - bent on taking his entire inheritance (a pretty large sum) leaving for a distant land where no one knew him and spending it in a wild run of self-indulgence.  He did not know his true identity in His father's heart. No care or thought for tomorrow or the consequences of his actions, until he runs smack into them.  This is such a picture of many of us in our culture today.  People do not understand who they are and whose they are.  As a result they never learn how to control themselves.  There is little to no cultivation in people from very young in learning to govern their urges and live self-controlled lives.  Learning how to endure pain and walk through suffering, delayed gratification or working long and hard for a prized reward are not valued character traits in our society any more.  Instead, people are told they deserve everything – NOW.  They should treat themselves – why not?  They deserve it.  This mentality and lifestyle has led to where we are now – a society of self-indulgent entitled people whining that they want everything now and that they deserve for someone to give it to them.

On the flip side – the older brother was a very interesting revelation.  He, having always lived and worked along-side his father, had always viewed himself as a slave.  He had never connected with his father – you can see they had no relationship, though the father’s heart  of love was always available to him.  He never received his father’s love and the identity that came with it.  If he had, he would never have resented his brother’s celebration and felt a lack of his own.  He could not even be happy for his brother.  He only saw meagerness toward himself from his father in celebrating his brother’s return.  There never was meagerness toward him in any way from his father’s heart. 

It’s interesting that one son separated himself physically from his father and ended up in a self-inflicted physical and identity poverty and need, while the other remained physically with his father and had access to his love and all that he owned and yet suffered a self-inflicted poverty of identity.  I find this mentality prevalent in many in the church.  We are dedicated to serving the Lord, but, have never accessed his love and the identity and inheritance that come with it through Jesus’ sacrifice to make bringing many sons into being!  Many stand far off from the Father’s heart – some resentful and some even prideful that they have worked so hard, but, never entering into their Father’s love, rest and provision.  Both of these self-inflicted poverty states steal the future away from individuals and the Kingdom that God intends.

This was a timely word when Jesus told the parable and it is even more timely now.  We have an opportunity to receive The Father’s great love, identity, provision and joy to us – be we younger, older or a mix of both sons.  He runs to us when we return – His heart is always full and available to us as we serve beside him.  I pray we don’t miss Him and that the enemy does not fool us out of our inheritance – I pray we connect with your great goodness through all that Jesus did to make it possible, Father.  Thank you, God, for walking us through and committing to make us one with you!

Treasure Finding

The weight was crushing. It looked impossible. He completely stood out to me.  It was all over him.  It looked...painful. Eyes down, silent demeanor, shuffling to and fro under it - all the while, silently screaming, "I'm HURTING, doesn't anyone see my pain, for God's sake!?"  I saw it.   
With client meetings over and the booth traffic slowed the last day of the exhibition, I looked next door and there he was, under that impossible whatever it was, the man in the booth next to ours. He was all alone at this show.  No other person to help out. I asked him, "So, how are you doing?"  He said, "Bored", as he then began talking to the person on his earpiece cell phone.  A little while later, he came over to our booth and apologized.  He said he didn't mean to ignore me, but was on his cell when I spoke to him.  So, I asked him again - "How are you doing?"  He fairly spilled out that his mother was dying of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and that he had to be at this show, but wanted to be home helping his wife with his mother's care. He'd just ordered an electric bed for her while at the show, to help alleviate bed sores, and though his mom was being tended to by his wife and wonderful Hospice care workers (she was the founder of Hospice) he wanted to be home with her. He told me he and his wife had brought his mom into their home when her illness had become too debilitating. He admitted that his mom's illness had taken a toll on him personally and his marriage as well, but that he knew this was the right thing to do and would not back away from it. Neither of his brothers wanted to be involved in any way with caring for his mom, but the highlight of his days was to walk in and sit with his mom and speak to her (whether she was lucid enough to respond or not).  It made his day when she answered him. I was so touched by this man's love and devotion to his mom. God put it on my heart to pray with him right there in isle at the convention center. I asked him if He knew God and believed in Jesus. He said yes. I asked if he would like me to pray with him and He said yes. Jesus just amazingly touched this man and his whole demeanor changed.  All the rest of the afternoon this man was buoyant.  As he packed up to leave that day - he smiled with a twinkle in his eye and said we'd be meeting again sometime and that he'd introduce me to his mom then.

It's just the most wonderful thing - to see people get freed up to be who they are, who God envisioned them to be. That is my calling and I so love walking it with Jesus!!  It's treasure finding.  Most times, the treasure is in places no one sees.  Of course, it's hidden and has to be FOUND!  But, the more unlikely the person, place or circumstance seems - the most likely it is to hold amazingly abundant and extravagant treasure.  I'm a treasure finder with Jesus.  It's the best life!  You never know just what may happen, but it's usually miraculous.