Journey of a "Prodigal" - Part 1: Where am I?
There have been hundreds of commentaries and books written, and countless numbers of sermons preached, on the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32). What is common across a majority of the work done to unpack this parable is that it is nearly always told from the perspective of an observer, from behind the veil, or looking out of the kingdom into a broken world at the “Prodigal”. Believers often speak of their “wilderness experience” but this rarely equates to experience as a Prodigal.
One other significant point that I believe is often overlooked is that the Prodigal was in his father’s house, to interpret this; he was part of God’s kingdom, saved and sure of his inheritance! Further, he didn’t drift away, didn’t lose interest, didn’t get distracted by something else, but forcefully (some say) and deliberately chose to leave God’s kingdom to pursue a time of indulgence and revelry. Other points in the story are no less shocking; the Prodigal was the younger son, and not the true heir, even so the Father acquiesces to the Prodigal’s request for a share in any inheritance, not when it’s due, but immediately! After taking his inheritance, the Prodigal leaves home and squanders everything he has, the inheritance that wasn’t legitimately his, and finds himself in a desperate situation; hungry and doing an unpleasant perhaps immoral job.
The pivotal part of the story is reached, the son comes to his senses; he knows staying where he is will probably lead to his death - a ridiculous situation considering the inferred status of his father - and as a result of his own selfish and deliberate actions. He acknowledges the sinfulness of his actions and considers himself unworthy as a son and returns not as an heir but as a servant.
I am looking at this story like this because I believe that I can relate to the experience, perhaps not yet as a prodigal, but as a potential one. I say this because on reading the parable it is easy to think that once the son realises what he has done he only has to run over the hill and he’s back home. This would be a misconception; the story points out that the son “took a journey into a far country” and my journey away from God has left me feeling a long way off.
So what is my story?
At the beginning of 2014 I was fully at home in God’s kingdom having come to Christ in 2000, more than that, I was just finishing my Ministerial training and my theology degree, with a view to taking up the position of Minister at a local Baptist Church. It was then that a series of events, some outside of my control, happened so that in September 2016 I left the ministry and over the next couple of years drifted away from church completely. Yet it wasn’t after leaving the ministry that my journey as a potential prodigal began, it was I believe when I came to Christ, that was when I got my inheritance: with Jesus as the true heir I was not entitled to anything, yet God’s promise in Roman’s 8:17 is that we are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”, thus salvation and my role in God's kingdom was granted.
In 2016 I started my journey to that far-away place, leaving His kingdom for the broken and corrupt world destined to get caught up in it, squandering my inheritance as a result. I reached several low points in my journey mainly around health and finances, yet it wasn’t until the dust cleared in all of this, when my health and financial situation started to improve, that I realised where I was and where I thought I should be!
The other day a dear friend came to visit for a coffee and a chat, and we discussed the Prodigal story and my personal experience, “Where are you now on your journey home” she asked. My reply was, “I can see the Father just in the distance!” On reflection, that’s not correct, I cannot yet see the Father, but no doubt he can see me.
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