I think he gets a bad rap. Someone needs to go to bat for the kid that has become the archetype of every person who hits the open road in search of something more than what they have in whatever version of a two-bit cow-town they find themselves. Upon any return to the land of their birth the inevitable phrase rolls from haughty lips with the pleasure of a stolen cupcake.
“So, the PRODIGAL has returned”
Prodigal. The word conjures up images of a wild child on a drunken binge learning that the good people back home were right - you would never make it out there on your own. Best be comin’ home, settle down, and stop this fools errand.
There is a couple of things I’ve learned about prodigals this past week. First of all, the word prodigal doesn’t mean loser or sinner or irresponsible or even lost. It just means lavish…especially where it comes to spending. It simply means someone who needs to live past the margins and can’t color inside the lines. Someone who believes the phrase “go big or go home” to a dangerous degree. It describes a person who hears the call of the road and is constantly wondering what is over that hill in the distance. Whether the term is a positive one or a negative one all depends on who is saying it.
But that’s not the most important thing I learned about prodigals this week. I learned about love.
Like the prodigal, we all live with labels. The word prodigal isn’t found in the biblical story. In fact, the only thing that identifies this kid is one word; son. Someone, somewhere in the 15th century gave him a label and sermons were preached and books were written about how God loves his boy EVEN THOUGH he was…
…prodigal.
It’s the “even though” that struck me this week. I’ve heard a lot of “even thoughs” in my life to get the message that I don’t live up to the standards of others. It sounds nice.
“I’ll let you play even though you stink.”
“I’ll pass you even though you did horribly”
“I’ll love you even though…” (that’s the worst one)
What I notice about the Father in this story (who represents God) was that there was no “even thoughs”. There was just love. The father didn’t love this kid “even though” he had squandered his wealth or “even though” he had become an embarrassment or “even though” he was a sinner. The father says very little, but what he says has more to do with love than a million “even thoughs”.
“My son…is here.”
The father loves his son. Period.
What I’ve discovered this week is that real love lacks the “even though”. Someone can look at our journey and the choices we have made and choose to show us love “even though” it’s assumed that our past disqualifies us of love. We go through with that kind of love feeling small and unworthy and wondering if we should be grateful that we are loved anyway. It sounds altruistic and charitable. Like it might be actual love.
What if love is actually different that that. What if love sees the journey and sees us and just loves…well, us. Looking through the eyes of love you see the way one is meant to be seen and realize that they are entirely…
…Beautiful.
I don’t want to be loved “even though”. I want someone to look straight into my soul and love my entire journey because they know I have been walking toward love the whole time. I want both haves of me - the sinner and the saint - to be kissed. They are, after all, me. My journey hasn’t been perfect. I’ve had days where I’m proud of my actions and days I know I could have done it better and days I should have been locked up. Love looks at me and sees all of me and knows that every moment was spent in the honest pursuit of what comes from the hand of God.
Our message from the younger son of the father is this…
Look for love that sees the real you - and starts running.
