Some run far from home and are lost in distant lands, while others remain home and are still just as lost. We’re lost whenever we forget who we are and where we belong. And all too often we can find ourselves lost at home – doing all the right things while our hearts are in distant lands, disconnected from love, joy, and peace.
This was the case with the elder brother in the parable of the lost sons. While his younger brother left home and openly rejected the values of the family, the older brother stayed and did what he was supposed to do. But the true condition of his heart was revealed later when a feast was thrown for this younger son of his father.
The older brother felt he had been slaving for his father for all these years, which shows he had forgotten his sonship even though he was still in his father’s house. He was lost at home as he failed to recognize his birthright – everything the father had was also his. It was his own hard heart that kept him from enjoying the many blessings already available to him.
This is a warning for us as well. It’s not enough to simply be the good guy who does right things when our hearts also remain hard, when we forget our sonship, and we’re unable to receive with gratitude the countless blessings God has offered to us.
Very similar to the younger brother, we must come to our senses and remember who we are as the true sons of God. We must then practice trusting in the goodness of God’s love for us personally, as we also discipline our hearts to express thankfulness for all that he has blessed us with. This frees us to live with obedient yet passionate hearts as we work in God’s kingdom.
Staying home does not keep you from being lost. And a spiritual homecoming is needed if your life of faith is all duty and no delight.
Photo by Muhmed Alaa El-Bank on Unsplash
