Faith for Flourishing

Not sure how it happens. We strive to faithfully serve God. We pray for our children and our family. We determine to create a home of peace and unity. We strive to instill good, solid values in our children. We even go so far to protect them from exposure to the ugliness in the world. And yet, when it is time to let them go out into the world, they may still make the decision to leave God out of their lives.

If your heart is breaking because your child has decided to distance themselves from God, this article is for you.

The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is told by Jesus as a parable to illustrate how much God desires restoration with those who have walked away from Him. To the parent of a prodigal, it gives instruction and more importantly, it offers hope.

In every person’s life there comes a time of personally discovering a God who wants to be intimately involved in his or her life. Just because someone is raised in a spiritual cocoon of sorts, it does not guarantee that this adult child will choose that way of life for himself. Everyone, absolutely everyone, is given sovereignty to choose how they will live.

The father in the parable was a man who had provided for his family and was successful in creating a place for his children. There weren’t any needs left unfulfilled within this household. The son who was ready to leave the safety of his father’s home wasn’t leaving because of bad parenting or lack of provision. As a matter of fact, the prodigal son reveals his true desires by disclosing it in his reason for leaving. In verse 12, he states, “Father give me the share of property that is coming to me.”  ESV. This son was asking for his inheritance prematurely. He didn’t want to wait for his father to bless him later. His statement is one of impatience. He wants it now. He didn’t see the benefits of working inside the boundaries of safety and provision. He wanted to take what would rightfully come to him later and spend it all now.

Impatience can make us think that we are missing out on something and consequently propel us to move quickly past anyone who appears to be in our way. The opposite of impatience, however, is that patience which the father demonstrates in our parable. The father does not argue with the son. The father does not take the inheritance and throw it at the son. The father does not pout or try to manipulate the son. The father exhibits patience.

As time moves forward and the son is squandering his inheritance, the father exhibits a patient expectation. We sense his expectation as he watches for his son.  Until the day comes when the father sees the son while the son “still a long way off.” At that point the story states that the father was moved with compassion for his son and he ran to meet him.

If you are a parent with a wayward adult child, it is important to cultivate patience. Rest assured that God is dealing with the wayward child’s heart. There is no city, no state, no country that God does not exist. Pray for your wayward child. Pray that God gives him or her a heart to know Him. Don’t follow them to the place of their sin, but wait on time and mercy to catch up with them. One day you’ll run to accept them at their return.

Pastor Lisa Eppinette