I am grateful for the story of the Prodigal Son. (For those not familiar, here is the story as it appears in the Gospel of Luke.) I've been memorizing a verse this month that names some of the Christian virtues - compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience - and these virtues help describe what makes this story so lovely.
- Compassion - the father has mercy on his son. He can't stand to see him suffering and he wants to help him.
- Kindness - the father is warm and welcoming towards his returning son when he has every right to be angry and turn him away.
- Humility - This is true of both the father and the son. It's not easy to come back to a situation that you gladly walked out of, admit that you were wrong, and be ready to apologize and be treated as foolish and lowly. The son humbles himself in order to go back to his family. Likewise, it's not easy to welcome someone back who has made it clear that they think they're better off without you, let alone to celebrate lavishly when that person returns - the father humbles himself to receive his son home.
- Gentleness - The father could require an apology from his son, or require him to work off the squandered inheritance, or just generally be harsh towards him - instead, he is tender and loving towards his son.
- Patience - The story doesn't say exactly how long the son was gone, but it was long enough for him to squander his inheritance and for a famine to develop - so it wasn't like the son changed his mind in a day or two. The father waited for his son, knowing that he might never return, and not punishing him for the delay in returning to the family.
I am so grateful for this story that illustrates the beautiful way that God treats us, and the beautiful way we should strive to treat each other.
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