|
Running |
|
There was a young man who had grown up on the family farm. He'd worked hard along with the rest of the family to meet their needs and to build up the farm. He knew all along that someday he would inherit it all from his father. He was restless, however. He thought life was passing him by and he was missing all the fun other young men were having. He thought he deserved to have a good time and, at last, he went to his father. He told his dad that he hated farming. He didn't want to stay there. He wanted to go get a job in the city and enjoy the good life. He asked his father to give him his share of the farm now so he would have enough to find a place to live, and support himself while he looked for a different job. I can only imagine how sad the father felt as this conversation took place. He had devoted his whole life to working hard to provide for his family and teaching his children the right way to live. He had hoped his son would follow in his own footsteps. Yet, he knew his son would have to find his own place and if farming was not his choice, he would have to help him seek a life that would make him happy. He gave the son everything he asked for. Regardless of any hardship to the rest of the family, he got together a large amount of money and allowed him to go his own way. The son went to the city and found a place to live. How exciting it all was after the simple days on the farm in the country! He met new friends and found places to go he never dreamed of. He went to the bars, dabbled in drugs, reveled in the glitter of gambling establishments, met women who were fascinating and who were delighted to accompany him on his rounds of the night spots. Then, one morning, he woke up with the granddaddy of all hangovers and realized he was broke. With his money gone, he soon found he couldn't get a date and the guys he'd been hanging around with were too busy to return his calls. He began to collect a pile of bills he couldn't pay. The rent was past due. The electricity was cut off. They repossessed his wheels. He had no skills and he couldn't find a job. He was afraid to turn to crime, but he was desperate. At last, evicted from his apartment, he found a job feeding pigs for a farmer on the outskirts of the city. The farmer let him live in the barn and paid him a small wage, but it was not enough to cover his needs. Sometimes, he even had to eat the pig food to keep from starving. One morning, the young man woke up and thought, "Even the hired men who work for my father have it better then this. I know I don't deserve any more help from him, but if I go home, surely he will give me a job and I'll at least have enough to eat." It was desperation that sent him home. He carried a load of guilt and shame because he had wasted so much. He had to swallow his own pride and admit he had made a mess of his life he couldn't fix. He didn't know how he would be received but would not have been surprised if the reception had been a chilly one and he expected, at least, a stern lecture. It was with some fear that he walked up the road to his father's house. I think the father had always had one eye on that road. He'd been praying his son would come home and each day as he went about his chores, he watched that road. One morning, as he was walking to the barn, he looked down it and couldn't believe his eyes. There, just coming into sight, was a man whose step he knew well. He recognized his son immediately and he dropped his bucket and ran - ran as hard as he could to meet him. He threw himself on his son, hugging him and crying. He shouted for all the family and the employees to come out and see. He sent the hired men to butcher a calf he'd been fattening and he sent someone to tell all the neighbors to come for a feast. Work stopped that day as everyone rejoiced with the father because his son had come home. The son, who had brought nothing with him but guilt and who owed more then he could ever repay, was the honored guest, just because the father loved him so much. It is a very old story. Jesus tells it in Luke 15:10-24 to show us what kind of father God is and how much he loves us. Running Away Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Psalms 139:7-10 When I was running away from God, I knew these verses were there. Always, in the back of my mind, I knew there was nowhere to go he could not find me. But I tried. Oh, how I tried! All I wanted was for God to go away and leave me alone. If you're running away, you probably know it, too. Maybe you won't even read this, because the last thing you want is for someone to remind you of it. Someday, when you need it, just remember where to find this story. |
|