Together again
Together again
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. . . . “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:20,23,24
The longing to be together
A psychiatrist who works at our agency recently spoke to me about this desire to be together with loved ones. Over the years he has counseled adult children from other cultures. When they were small and their country was at war, their parents sent them away to America to keep them safe. They were separated from their parents and never saw them again. It would seem to me that this was a difficult but loving thing to do.
“That’s not how the children saw it,” the psychiatrist told me. He went on to explain that the children, as adults, struggled with intensely bitter feelings toward their long-lost parents. Why? Because the adult children wanted to stay with their parents and face danger—even death—rather than be split up as a family.
That’s how God sees it too. He has that same longing. If fact, the entire Bible is the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back together. In Genesis, the story begins with the family together. Then there’s painful separation. In the end there’s a reunion and then the party begins.
The separation of the family
The parable of the prodigal son is a classic story within that story. You might know the tale quite well. The younger son leaves home with his dad’s wealth and heads for a distant country. Reckless and extravagant, he partied until the cash was gone. Then he thought of home.
The story of the prodigal son is my story and yours. Our Father has clearly spelled out his expectations for us . . . which are for our good. Too often we don’t see it that way. At our spiritual peril, we merrily venture into the distant country of greed and gossip, laziness and lust, resentment and rebellion.
When our adventure fails to offer lasting satisfaction, we discover Satan’s hollow promises of happiness that left us shamefully eating with the pigs and eating our words. Then we think of home. Our Father’s house offers no hollow promises . . . only forgiveness, acceptance, and lasting happiness.
The reunion with our Father
The final scene of the story with the younger son is breathtaking and captivating. The returning son is spotted in the distance. The father runs like he hasn’t run in years to embrace and receive back his son. The family is back together.
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