You remember the story of the Prodigal Son. Traditionally, it’s told from the point of view of the younger son who demands his father’s money and comes crawling home in shame after he squanders it all.
But I wonder if we should call it the story of the prodigal sons. The older son stayed home, but he didn’t have the heart of his father. He rejected his brother and wouldn’t even come to celebrate that his younger brother had been rescued from the clutches of death.
Imagine what that father must have been going through. One son’s life was in shambles, and the other seemed to think he was above making mistakes and bad decisions. Where did I go wrong?he must have thought.
The story of the prodigal captures a powerful family drama from every angle, and shows that it’s about more than a child going off the rails. Every part of a family is impacted. Some children rebel out of immaturity mixed with a bad attitude. Other children rebel out of pain and brokenness.
The father in the story may have been in pain, but his redemptive attitude toward his boys reflects God’s attitude toward us. After all, we are all prodigals on some level.
A lot of you are embroiled in a prodigal story of your own right now. One child is in trouble, maybe even in danger. The other children feel lost in the wake of their sibling’s chaos. And you are questioning where you went wrong.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Offering God’s Hope to Families with Prodigals,” we’re speaking with father and son Bill and Jim Putnam. They will share the valuable spiritual lessons God taught them about unconditional love and accountability through their own prodigal story.
Join us for our conversation on your local radio station, online, oniTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app.
If you’ve never come to Jesus, or if you’ve walked away from your faith and feel far away from His love, know that God is right there with you, ready to bring you back.
And if you’re the parent of a prodigal, God is right there with you as well. He wants to comfort you and sustain you through the pain of your journey.
We also want to come alongside you by connecting you to one of our Christian counselors who can listen to your story, pray with you, and point you to practical help in your local area. Call us, leave your name and number, and a member of our team will get back with you just as soon as possible. The number during business hours is 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).
I can’t say enough about a wonderful book from Bill and Jim titled Hope for the Prodigal: Bringing the Lost, Wandering and Rebellious Home. If you need hope, we can send you a copy for a financial gift of any amount to Focus on the Family. And if you don’t have the money, don’t worry – we’ll still get a copy to you. (Check our websitefor details.)
But if you canpartner with us financially, we’d really appreciate it. Just imagine what God can do to strengthen marriages, encourage hurting parents, and spread the good news of the Gospel when we work together!
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