I think most people can relate to the prodigal son mentioned in the Bible. I mean, it’s essentially a message of the Father’s unconditional love and forgiveness in the face of the son’s selfishness and rebellion.

Actually, the son reminds me in many ways of our nation. In Luke 15 where we find the story, it tells us that there was a man who had two sons and the younger one told the father that he wanted his share of the estate. He was basically saying, “Old man, I’m tired of waiting on you to die and I want my inheritance now.” In any culture, this would rank at the top of dishonorable and insulting actions. But the father obliged and divided his property between the sons.

This is the first parallel I see between the prodigal and our nation. Both are consumed with more and there is a general attitude of discontent for what we have and a sense of entitlement for what we don’t. The second similarity is a tendency toward instant gratification. We’re told that, “Not long after that, he gathered his belongings and headed out for a distant country”. He wanted it all and he wanted it now. Does that sound familiar to you? If it does, then there’s a chance that the rest of the story will too. What followed was a pattern of destructive behavior that resulted in the son’s spending of everything he had.
Living for the moment, he squandered what he had been given and spent everything.

He was unprepared for the future. Luke 15:14 tells us that, “… a severe famine took place in that whole country, and he began to be in need”. I do realize that we are not facing famine, but it seems to me that what we do have is an epidemic of selfishness that’s reflected by our average individual consumer debt of almost $25,000 and a national debt in the trillions, it’s safe to say that we have not only spent everything we have, but even what we don’t.

I believe that if we will come to our senses like the prodigal, if we will get up and go to our Father… our heavenly Father that is… and simply admit our mistakes, ask for forgiveness and commit to change, we will find that He is incredibly willing to help us. Just like the prodigal, our Father is filled with compassion and awaiting our return home.

Greg Richards is Senior Pastor of Life Church in Kaufman. www.yourlifechurch.com