Guess Who's Back

Everything Jesus did when He was on earth, He did for a reason. The parables or stories He told weren't just random anecdotes to pass the time, they each had a greater meaning. The Bible is structured in a similar fashion, there is always something behind what is said.

We get to the story of the Prodigal Son, which took place in Luke's version of the Gospel this past weekend.

We all know the story...two sons are given their inheritance, one stays home and works, the other goes out and has himself a good ol' time blowing it all on this and that, that song comes back home with nothing, but is greeted like a king from the father, making the other brother jealous, but the father simply says his son has returned, and is thankful...

My guess would be that Jesus is not telling us to go out and party away all of our brains, money, education, friends, and family, leaving us cold and alone. The lesson is more in the way that brother was received by the father. You see, forgiveness is a constant with God, and it's shown again here.

Are we just as forgiving? It's hard to be. We are told that once a person abandons us, and wants something that we don't want, we should treat them like an outcast, especially if they come back. This past summer, NBA star LeBron James decided his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, wasn't good enough, and he bolted to play with two more stars in Miami as a member of the Heat. In his first game in Cleveland playing against his old team, I'm pretty sure they won't have a party, as boos and jeers will rain down from every fan in the seats.

It's obviously not easy to forgive once you've been betrayed, especially if everyone's mindset is the same. Now I'm not saying to treat Lebron like the son and kill the fatted calf in celebration, but maybe everyone should simply respect his wishes...it is his life after all.

So let's apply that to our own lives. It's ok to be emotional, don't get me wrong. My mom yells at me all the time to show some more emotion, and you gotta listen to you mother, it is what it is.

Think about it...it's ok to be mad when a friend decides to leave you out of their plans for the night. It can be offensive. But, how you then react to that shows your true makeup. Will you overreact, causing a dramatic evening for everyone involved? That's not the way to do it. Just as they need to live their lives, you need to live yours. You need only yourself to make yourself happiest. So relax and do that in a different way, that doesn't involve that friend. Maybe next time you'll be included, maybe you won't, but don't let it make or break your day or night.

When it comes to being responsible for someone else, the father was probably hurt when his son ran off, but he needed to press on with his life. That was his son's decision. No matter what you do, either as a parent, sibling, or friend, it's always their decision, and as hard as you might try to sway that, you cannot get into that inner core of their conscience. Once again, just like God is with you, he is with our loved ones too. We can only control our own lives, so we need to worry about that first and foremost, and not let our loved ones decisions bring us down. We need to be there, but at a certain point, it's up to them, and the father knew that. He was just happy to have him back at the end of the story, and we need to greet anyone who does that to us the same way. No judging, no drama, just forgiveness and love.

I might have rambled a little bit, and I apologize for not having a "Dark Knight" Batman/Morgan Freeman reference. But, we need to trust each other and in God, that mistakes happen, and that people betray one another, and leave one another, and that the only thing we can control is our own individual actions.

Trust, and maybe our blood pressure will collectively go down just a little.

So, enjoy the day, because you can.