“And when he came unto himself he said ‘How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.’ And he arose and came to his father” Luke 15:17-20
The younger son is at the bottom of the bottom, alone, broke, and nothing but darkness ahead – at least that’s how he sees it. But then a sliver of light comes into the darkness, a ray of hope, the moment “he came unto himself” arises when he recognizes that he need not/should not go it alone. Inherent in this moment is the acknowledgement of an error, recognition of his monumental screw up. That’s hard, and we should not gloss over that moment. On more positive terms we can call it a moment of clarity, a moment of enlightenment, but at its center it requires a monumental swallowing of pride. This is the critical moment, the fulcrum on which his future is balanced. Does the younger son remain stubborn, independent, alone, or does he acknowledge his weakness (and at the same time rely on his strength) to turn to face his demons, his past, to envision a brighter future in a partnership with the Father?
In the younger son’s words there is purposeful surrender. “I have sinned against heaven and before thee…make me as one of thy hired servants.” Not to this degree, of course, but I am called to surrender, to “come unto myself” each day, many times a day. Do I hold back on that quick judgment, repress the biting sarcasm, acknowledge instead of ignore? When the sliver of light comes into the darkness do I repress the still, small voice or acknowledge it, follow it? Do I remain in want or turn around and head back home?
It occurs to me... 