The One Who Won't Give Up

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” – Luke 15:31-32 (NIV)

What is the father doing now in this parable? Is it strange that Jesus ends the story without resolution? What does it mean that it is not finished? What does it mean for the older brother?

I was reading “Who Can Be Saved?” by Will Willimon, and he shared a story that went something like this:
They hadn’t seen their son in four months. They hadn’t even heard from him. Not a call, not a letter, not an email, nothing.
Then one night as they are eating dinner, he busts right through the front door of the house and comes right up to them. Cursing at them, demanding money, refusing to sit down and eat dinner with them, cursing at them some more, and finally going down the hall and slamming the door shut to his room.
Her husband gets up from the table and pours himself a drink and sits down on the couch looking pathetic.
She gets up and goes to the bedroom her son is in. “Son, come on out let’s talk about things.” More cursing greets her pleads for him to talk. She tries to open the door but he has locked it.
She goes into the garage and finds a hammer. Going back into the house she approaches the locked door. With hammer in hand she lifts her arm back and throws the hammer down upon the doorknob. It comes off with pieces of the door and she pushes it open.
There her son sits looking stunned. He is about to open his mouth again when she goes up to him and grabs his face and says, “Enough of this! I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I’m not giving up on you damn it! We’re going to talk whether you want to or not.”

In the parable the younger son’s return is being celebrated, and the older one decides he is done with it all. Notice the father. He goes outside to plead with his older son. The father never gives up on either of his children. Like that mother who would break down a door to talk to her hate-filled son, God follows us and pleads with us. The parable ends with the father and the older son outside. I wish I knew what happened next. Perhaps it doesn’t end because what happens next is up to us. Will we talk to the God who follows us? Will we go into parties that others don’t deserve? Will we? What I do know however is that God won’t stop reaching out.

With hope and joy,
Garrett

Faith to Keep On Going

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

 

Do you have faith to persevere in the hard times, and wait upon God?  Have you met people whose faith in God renew their strength, and allow them to work when others give up?  Have you felt the rush of mounting up on wings as eagles, running and walking without tiring, fighting the good fight with joy, and being able to take on the world because you wait upon the LORD?

 

Another story sent to me through e-mail:

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.  Finally he decided since the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. So, the farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels, and began to shovel dirt into the well.

All the other farm animals were very upset about this, because the donkey was their friend. But they discovered there was nothing they could do to help him. At first, when the donkey realized what was happening, he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off, and take a step up on the dirt as it piled up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well, and trotted off!

MORAL: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. But each trouble can be a stepping-stone. What happens to you isn't nearly as important as how you react to it. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not giving up!

Shake it off, and take a step up!

 

When we wait upon God we never will give up!  Life will never stop throwing dirt at us, and we will never stop shaking it off, because our strength comes from the Lord.  Do something amazing when the world seems to hold you down, show others the power that comes through faith and make it out of the deepest of pits!!  Then the world will know what you already know, “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength!”

With hope and joy,

Garrett