Stories are so important to us! You have grown up with an entire library of them right in our own home! Remember the Raggedy Ann books, The Velveteen Bunny, Jingle Bell Jack and the other golden books, Indian Bunny, The Little House, Little Toot, Mike Mulligan, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Kay Chorao's wonderful poems and drawings, Nancy Drew/the Hardy Boys, The Junglebook and our other huge storybooks, The Red Umbrella, A Wrinkle in Time, the Indian in the Cupboard, and all the Christmas storybooks and so much more!
In the Bible we are told the story of God's love for us and His plan from eternity to redeem us and keep us in His arms forever! The one that really sticks in my mind as the most important one for me to share with you is The Prodigal Son. This guy was entirely too big for his britches. He took his entire inheritance from his devastated father and ran off to waste it. He had to sink to incredible depths of depravity, including wild and shameful debauchery. Finally he hit bottom. When he ran out of his Dad's money, he got a job taking care of swine (a horrifying violation for a Jew) and he ended up wanting to eat the crud he was feeding the pigs because he was starving.
Now understand this: You and I are EXACTLY the same. We must come to the point where we truly understand the depths of evil in our own hearts and really despise ourselves. It is then that God can work. Until then, the soil of our hearts is too hard with arrogance!
There's more to be learned from this story. The boy's father never criticized his son. He gave him what he asked for, though it broke his heart. He watched endlessly for his beloved boy to come home. When he saw him coming from way far away, he didn't wait dramatically for his son to open the front door and give him the "righteous look". With a heart bursting with compassion and joy, he RAN to greet him and held him tight, kissing him! When he heard his son say he was no longer worthy to be his son and could he just be a servant now, the father was moved in the depths of his being and poured new wealth on him (a ring, a robe and sandals), and threw a huge feast for him!
It is a lesson in parenting, in true forgiveness, in trusting the Holy Spirit to bring conviction, in love!!
But this story was also about another boy. The brother, who had obediently stayed home and worked in the fields. When he saw his errant brother get such a huge celebration from dad, he was enraged and jealous! He spoke in surly accusation to his dad, pouting that his brother was not being punished, but instead rewarded, while he, the obedient boy, received nothing! His father pointed out that the errant brother had been brought back to life from his repentance so celebration was needed! And he shared this truth: That the son who had stayed in the field now owned everything the father had!
How many times have we been jealous, placed blame, pouted, said, "It's not fair", grumbled in resentment, and churlishly refused to be glad when someone else got something we did not?! Yet, because of Jesus' death on the cross, do we not have everything the Father has?!?!
Love, Mama
