Accepting Love

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” (Lu 15:24 AV)

 

There is a reason why this parable is so well-known a beloved.  Jesus speaks to all of us and our common human situation.  The Prodigal is all of us at one time or another.  There is great debate on the application of this parable.  Some believe this to teach the returning child of God unto salvation while others believe it to be a lesson on the returning of an erring child of God to his Father.  To argue misses the point.  The whole point of this parable is the grace and compassion of God compared to the self-righteousness of the Pharisees.  In this story, we see many details for personal applications.  One of which is expressed above.  I wonder how the Prodigal felt when his father and friends made merry at his return.  I wonder if he was embarrassed.  I wonder if he felt out of place.  I wonder if he felt uncomfortable at the fuss everyone was making when he had done unforgivable things.  At least they were unforgivable in his own eyes.  He had abased himself to be not more elevated than a common servant.  To his elder brother, that is probably what he remained.  But to his father, the Prodigal was much more.  He was his son!  He could not help by rejoicing that his son returned.  And he was a different and better person because of it.  I still have to wonder how the Prodigal felt.

It is hard to accept grace.  Pride stands in the way.  To think of ourselves as unlovable is not the Holy Spirit speaking.  It is our own prideful heart.  There is such a thing as false humility.  There is such a thing as beating ourselves up, thinking this to be humility, but in reality, it is pride.  It takes humility to receive grace.  It takes faith to accept that despite who we are, what we are, and what we have done, God loves us with everlasting love.  It takes faith to believe that despite the reality of our lives, a holy God loves us in ways we can never figure out.  It takes humility to accept the emotional response heaven has when we return from our filth.  We want to hide in a hole.  We do want not attention.  We are much too embarrassed at what we have done.  We cannot forgive ourselves.  All this stands in the way of experiencing divine joy at reconciliation with God our Father.  We want to walk that road back in loneliness and silence.  We want to receive a flogging for all that we have done.  We would rather have the correction of God than the grace of God.  That is what we deserve.  When heaven rejoices, we don’t know how to take it.  There must be someone else in the room that deserves the fatted calf.  Surely there is a mistake.  We need to be thrown out into the north forty to look after the cattle, living in a slaves hut, and eating scraps for dinner.  That is what we deserve.  We deserve to be isolated and marginalized.  We need to be rejected and given the bare minimum.

But God’s grace is inexplicable.  His compassion and love are beyond our understanding.  We can, nor ever will, understand how almighty God could love such inconsequential creatures as ourselves.  We look at the older brother who appears to have never messed up and wonder why he isn’t getting attention.  We sit in a corner because we cannot see ourselves as worthy enough to keep company with those whom we assume live more godly than we do.  We are expecting it.  We welcome it.  Why?  Because we cannot take by faith that God loves us with everlasting love.  We cannot accept by faith that no matter what we have done, God will always welcome a penitent back to His arms with joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Yet, we don’t have to live there.  It is a matter of faith.  We will either accept the love of God as He offers it or remain in our isolated misery of self-rejection.  At least the Prodigal had enough sense to give the love of the father a try.  He didn’t stay in the pig styes.  At least he went back and fessed up with his father.  At least he confessed and reconciled.  We can start there.  Then, as He forgives us for what we are or have done, we need to get this picture in our minds and hearts and accept it as the reality of heaven.  Heaven rejoices!  They shout!  They praise the LORD!  And God wraps His loving arms around you as though nothing ever happened.  Accept it.  Find comfort in it.  And realize the liberty that comes with faith in God’s everlasting love.