We've all been there. Your old, reliable, mount lets you down. The roping horse ducks off... the pleasure horse anticipates the gait call... the trail horse won't cross the creek... the race horse refuses to enter the starting gate... and the list goes on. We're let down, disappointed, and frustrated. We knew we were all set to win the big one, or see the view from the mountain top after a long awaited trail ride. However, our stand by, dependable, equine companion, says "not today". Sometimes it's an isolated situation, other times it's a little more complicated than that. These are the times when it's challenging, you know you have a great one, but they just come "untrained". What do you do? Try a new training program? Turn them out for a while? It's a frustrating situation and usually appears at the wrong time... just when you've paid the big entry fee, booked the flight and room, or hired the hauler.
We encounter a similar situation in the bible. A father raises his family; his sons are familiar with the territory and show a lot of promise. The father is anticipating that his later years will be filled with enjoyment of the company of his family, and the security that they will carry on his business and legacy. Out of the blue, his youngest comes "untrained" and wants to leave the program! He wants to head to a new arena, or a new track, to spend his talent and resources. The young man wants to spread his wings, be on his own, and spend his money as he wishes! If this is not enough, he requests his inheritance from his father to spend as well. Brokenhearted, the father allows his son to exercise his "free will" and leave, along with his potential, and his inheritance. How often have we seen this situation? Horses..., customers..., valuable help... friends... colleagues..., and, more painfully..., ourselves. We simply come "untrained". The story I am referring to is a Parable known as, "The Prodigal Son". The son who had it all; family, fortune, and a future, came untrained, and left it at all.
The story gets even more interesting. The son leaves; the father is devastated and wonders if his son will ever return. Like spending a bundle on a great horse, only to find yourself worrying if you will ever get him back to his full potential. Well... the son squanders his inheritance with filthy living and eventually finds himself feeding slop to pigs in order to survive. Comparable to "manning the manure pile", and told to keep the flies away! A humbling job for anyone, especially for someone with "Royal" blood flowing through their veins! Eventually, the son realizes that life in his fathers stable, at the bottom of the pecking order, is better than feeding slop to someone else's pigs.
Everyday the father stands at the gate to see if he can see his son coming home. Anticipation, hope, worry, regret, and disappoint are his only reward. It's like going to the barn each morning to check your prized equine to see if the soreness is gone, only to find that he still limps out of his stall. Eventually, the father sees the son in the distance. Saying he is "euphoric", is an understatement. His son is on his way home, his heart is overjoyed, and the weight of worry is gone, his heart of faith has paid off. Several years ago, our World Champion pleasure horse sustained a bad leg injury months before the All American Quarter Horse Congress. The prognosis was grime. However, we were diligent and followed our veterinarian's instructions to the "T". Each day, was a disappointment as "Travis" would limp out of his stall every morning. Even though we saw improvement, we were disappointed. However, God had other plans. Our faithfulness paid off, as Travis went sound the week we left for the Congress. Not only was he sound, he turned in the performance of his career. He was crowned the Congress Champion in Amateur Western Pleasure, with my mother in the saddle! We had our Champion back and felt like we had experienced "the party of a life time".
In the father's jubilation, he warmly welcomes his son home and orders a feast! He not only throws a feast, but, he clothes him with the finest clothes and gives him a ring. Not just any ring, but a ring reserved only for royalty. Everyone is not as jubilant as the father, especially the eldest son! The older son, in his legalistic attitude, decides to come untrained and "spits the bit". He informs the father of the horrible injustice that his father has done! While he's been loyal, and stable, he has never received anything like this. Where is his party with his new clothes and his new ring? How often do we encounter this type of thinking ourselves? We are not always happy for someone else's return, or their big victory. And we know that our competitors are not always as jubilant as we are in our own victories.
Do you notice that there were no strings attached to the prodigal's homecoming. The fathers love was unconditional, while the brother's love was conditional. There is another group in this Parable that is never discussed. It's the guests to the party. I wonder what there reaction was. I wonder if they were as jubilant as the father, or as skeptical as the elder son. Did they discuss the situation as the sat around the fancy tables surrounding the mansions pool? Did they say, "I'm so glad his son is home!", or did they whisper to each other, "I hope he gets him some good counseling", or perhaps, "I hope he enters him into a good rehab program"! How often have we thought, or said, when our competitors win "the big one", was it "legit", or "I wonder if they'll pass the drug test".
While the prodigal was living in the fast lane at the bars and chasing the wild women, he was still the father's son. He was still royalty. Even though he didn't act like it, or the brother didn't realize it, he was, A Royal Prince, with Royal Blood in his veins. Maybe you were a prodigal, or still are. Don't forget whose you are, The Father's. You belong to him and he has the grandest homecoming prepared for you... with no strings attached. Maybe it's time for you to come home.
I recently spent some time with an old friend who is battling an eating disorder. I met with her and her counselor as she wanted to tell me of her battles in a safe environment where she could trust me to share these experiences. In the course of the discussion, she shared some things I had done many years prior. Things that did not seem like that big of a deal, like sticking up for her in a tough situation, or speaking highly of her when I didn't know she was listening. These kept her going for years. The interesting thing... I did these things when I was a wayward prodigal!
You see, I was still the Fathers, I was still royalty. So are you.