"I'll Never Do That List"

by Joey Davis

Before I had children, I was a true expert on child rearing. I had a long list of things that I would never do. Since God blessed me with Olivia and Sawyer, that list has continuously gotten 'smaller and smaller.

Have you ever had an "I'll never do that" list?

Every time I hear someone say that they would never ever do something, my response is "would you like ketchup with those words?" After all, I know that they will probably have to eat them. I also remember a young man who, because of losing his life's focus, wished for something as sweet as words to eat.

In Luke 15, Jesus speaks a parable of a young man who was tired of rules and regulations and decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. He told his father that he wanted his portion of the inheritance and he would be gone. Little did he know that grass is grass where ever it grows. . . and it all has to be mowed sooner or later.

The first thing that strikes me is that this young man had no legal claim of inheritance. Under Jewish law, the eldest son received the blessing from the father, not the second son. However, the father in this parable was merciful from the beginning and divided his property with the boy.

As you probably know, the son left home, as well as the comfort and safety of being a child of his father, and cast his lot with the world. The first lesson he learned is that true friendship is not measured when things are good and money is plentiful, but when your life is a wreck and the money has run out. In this respect, since he had turned his back on his family, the boy ended up standing alone.

The second lesson he learned is that difficult situations can cause you to do things you once thought were nothing short of sin. Imagine a good Jewish boy feeding swine, rolling in the mud like a pig, and wishing to eat their food. It happened. He probably swore he'd never tend a herd of swine and now he's eating with them. How ironic!

Which brings us to lesson three.

You see, the most important lesson of this story is the foundational principles of repentance and forgiveness. Whoever said that "you can never go home again," didn't know our God. This young man came to his senses and realized that in his father's presence was the only place to find happiness. He returned to the father and was met with open arms and gracious generosity. Begging to be a slave he was honored as a son.

If your spiritual life has found you doing something you swore you never would, learn a lesson from the prodigal. . . go home! The Father has been waiting for you.