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Beth has shared the story of the Prodigal Son over at Testify today.  It's a story that most of us can identify with, but Beth wants to know what part, which character is the one we can relate to the most.

"Now … your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to share with us which of the characters in the story do you most relate to, at this point in your life, and why. If you’d like you can also share about other times in your life when you have related to another of the people.

• Are you the loving parent watching for a rebellious child to come home?
• Are you the rebel, wandering far from where you belong, seeking pleasure and finding loss and sorrow?
• Are you a good time friend who dissappears when the money runs out and the fun stops?
• Are you plagued with bitterness, anger, and resentment, like the older brother as you see others reap blessings that “you deserve more than they do”?

Which one do you most relate to today?"


At different times in my life I've definitely been able to identify with all of these...except the good time friend, that's not my style.  The past year, especially, I did my fair share of grappling with bitterness, anger, and resentment as I struggled with some major life changes and with, I believe, a bit of depression.  I am so glad that I can say my God is an awesome, faithful God who stuck by me and lifted me up out of that pit and worked some big changes in my attitude.

Today, I would have to say I can relate most to the loving parent watching and waiting for a child to come home.  Both of my children were raised Christians.  Both have walked away from it.  I think it has a lot to do with what they saw go on in our last church....the same things that hurt Tim and I so deeply and drove us away from church for five long years.  Our son has at least settled down and is working and raising a family and is a good husband and father.  Megan, though, at 18 is definitely sowing her wild oats and testing the limits.  She has calmed down some from the last couple of years, but there is a long way to go.  I just keep praying and asking my Christian friends to pray for my children to allow God back into their lives.  There really is nothing else I can do and so many prayers on their behalf have already been answered that it is not so hard to have patience and remain faithful.

I'm sure my mom is getting a bit of a kick out of seeing me on the receiving end of a rebellious child.  Payback for when I was that child.