The Lost Son

“…the Father has a purpose in making me wait, in letting others succeed, in allowing me to serve when I never get a “thank you” in return.”

I have always loved the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or the Lost Son, found in Luke 15:11-31. If you have never read it, go read it! A prodigal is someone who spends money extravagantly, in a wasteful manner. Now, I certainly can identify with this! Sadly, I have been a waster of money many times. But I think what I identify with more is a slightly different meaning, a meaning much closer to the heart. Perhaps prodigal here can also mean wasting what the Lord has graciously given- our gifts, our talents, our time. How many years have I wasted by not investing in His kingdom? How many times have I squandered my spiritual inheritance for worldly riches that never satisfied my soul?

In the parable, the youngest of two sons requests his inheritance from his father. The father graciously agrees to this request, and the son packs up his belongings and leaves town. He recklessly squanders his money and finds himself literally living among the pigs, desperately searching for his next meal. Completely bankrupt, he returns home to implore forgiveness from his father. He even plans on offering to work among the slaves in order to just come home.

Here’s the best part: “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 ESV). The father even proceeds to slaughter a fattened calf and throw a party in honor of his return. Can you imagine the father’s relief when his child returned home? Complete restoration. Complete forgiveness. No shame. No digging up his failures. His father was waiting, his eyes straining into the distance for the return of his lost son.

Every one of us has likely been the prodigal. Thankfully, I have also encountered the love of the Father. His forgiveness. His embrace, welcoming me back home.

But how many of us have been the other son? He felt bitter. While his younger brother left and wasted his wealth, the older brother had remained “faithful” in serving his father. With years of service under his belt, he now felt cheated. He even refuses to attend the party for his brother.

Until this year, I have always identified more with the prodigal in this parable. I would look at the other son, the “faithful one,” and think “Gosh, he is such a complainer. Why can’t he just be thankful for his brother’s return?”

But last year, I became the “other son.”  

It was a hard year. Through a series of heartache, disappoint, loss and grief, I became just like the older brother. In the face of some crushing disappointments and hardship, I found myself saying “Hey Lord, don’t you realize I have been faithfully following you for a long time? Do you see me?” In the face of some difficult situations, my heart cried out “God, don’t you see that I am the one here taking care of everything? Don’t I at least deserve a ‘thank you?’”

And there it is- the selfish heart of the older son. I was no different. And what God revealed to me is tied up in the purpose of this parable and the others before it. Jesus told these stories with the Pharisees in ear shot. The parable was for them. They were grumbling about Jesus spending time with sinners. In their religious superiority, they couldn’t fathom why He would want to be seen with these people. How could He? They couldn’t fathom how He could love men and women like them. They were the faithful ones. They were the religious ones. They were the ones upholding the Law. Didn’t they deserve recognition and praise from Him? Didn’t they deserve attention?

And my heart had become just like theirs, just like the heart of the older brother. I had become focused entirely on myself, my desires, my faithfulness. What I failed to understand is that the Father has a purpose in making me wait, in letting others succeed, in allowing me to serve when I never get a “thank you” in return.

Maybe if you are willing to be honest, you have had similar thoughts. I want to encourage you if you’ve also struggled with being the “other son.” Perhaps the older brother is also a prodigal in his own way. In fact, maybe he is the prodigal, the truly lost son. He loses sight of what matters and sets his eyes on himself and his own righteousness. He fails to celebrate God’s mercy toward others. He squanders his own blessings. He wastes precious time in his father’s presence by letting bitterness enter his heart, robbing him of the joy that is available while he serves. He forgets that living with his father is enough.

I don’t want to waste a single day the Lord gives me. I don’t want you to either. No matter where He has you, know that there is purpose: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV). No season is wasted, and no service to God’s kingdom is in vain. The big. The small. The seen. The unseen. I want to serve Him faithfully and joyfully, laying my own life down before Him in return for His kindness and goodness. And I want to celebrate the return of all those who come home.