Are you a prodigal child?

Are you a prodigal child? I know I am.

The name of my blog comes from the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32. The story starts with a father and his two sons. The younger son, after receiving half of the estate, went away and wasted all his money on the riches of the world. Once all his money was gone he got a job feeding someone’s pigs. He was so desperate and hungry that he got to the point of wanting to eat the slop he fed the pigs. It was that moment that he realized that even the servants at his father’s house had a better life then he did. He went home to beg his father to take him back as a servant. But while he was still far away his father saw him on the road and called for them to throw a party, for his son had finally come home!

That is how I feel my life has been like. I thought I knew best and strayed from my Father. The things of the world had to be more fun (you know since so many people did them), but the world gave me nothing. All the things that I thought were going to fulfill me left me feeling even more empty then I first was. They would never be able to fill the hole I had in my life, even though I so desperately tried to make them.

What I find to be the most amazing part of my journey is that the Lord was always with me. When I strayed, and thought He was far from me, He knew what was happening. He saw my mistakes and the wrong things that I was doing. But when I finally found my way and came back home where I belonged the Lord welcomed me with open arms. He didn’t care what I had done. He didn’t judge me at all, the only thing that mattered to Him was that His child was home. He rejoiced and threw a party, for I was lost but now I was found.

I think the key thing to keep in mind is that God doesn’t care where you did in the past. He doesn’t care where you are in your life. He only wants you to come home! When we are in our darkest days He is also there, whispering for us to come back. Telling us that He can light the way out of the place we are in and give us hope again. He created each one of us with a purpose and it isn’t for us to put ourselves through the terrible trials the world has. We all get embarrassed about things we’ve done that we know are wrong and sometimes that can hinder us from going to the Lord. There’s a phrase that the Lord gave me this week to really meditate on, it goes like this “Sometimes we think we need to fix our problems before going to God, but really God wants us to come to Him, so HE can fix our problems”. He wants to be able to take all our worries and burdens away, but we first must give them to Him. He wash’s us clean and makes us a new creation. Through Him the old is gone and the new will come to pass (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What a relief that we don’t have to worry about anything in our past coming back to haunt us! I know for me that is a VERY good thing. I am so thankful that He loves us enough to forgive ALL our sins and make us whole. If your feeling like you may be lost right now that is okay, but I want you to know that the Lord is with you. Where ever you are, whatever path you are on, IT IS NEVER TO LATE! You are always welcome home, and we will all rejoice and celebrate your return.