Don't Skip This

Usually I would put some kind of intro here, but I don't really have much to say today so let's get into it

Luke 15:11-16 The Message (MSG)

The Story of the Lost Son

11-12 Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

Alright so I know this pause seems little premature, but I told y6all we were going to get straight to it. SO here we go. There's a few things that I noticed in just these couple of verses. First of all, it was the younger son that asked for his inheritance early. Why is that significant? Typically, the younger you are, the less patience you have, the more impulsive you are, the more eager you are to have the right now. Think I'm lying? Why do you think the younger generation is always called the microwave generation? The younger people are always looking for immediate gratification. 

Secondly, the son was not willing for what is to come. He was seeking that Immediate gratification that I was just referring to. To be honest, I believe that God doesn't show us everything He has in store for us early because we would be like the younger son. We would want to it right now if we saw it too early. We wouldn't want to go on the journey to get there. But we cannot skip experiences. 

Sometimes we take advantage of the word....if that makes sense. Like, we know all things work together for the good, we know that God's thoughts towards us are of peace and for us to come to an expected end, we know that God prepares a table for us in front of our enemies. We know all these things, but it's like we want God to do it right now, almost like he owes us something. God don't owe us nothing. The Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years. They knew they were going to the land of milk and honey, but they had no idea it was going to be 40 years. 

Luke 15:12-20 The Message (MSG)

12-16 “So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

17-20 “That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.

The fact of the matter is God knows we don't need our future in our present. But He'll still allow us to get what we want just so we can learn. To be honest, the son leaving is the equivalent of going off to college. You graduate from high school and think you know e-ver-y-thing, chile. Everything was "I'm grown. I do what I want." But those hard nights....Jesus...it'll humble you really quick. But honestly I can say I wouldn't be who  I am today without that experience. 

I'm not sure why I'm on this college tangent. Maybe it's because it's graduation season (Congrats to all the graduates). Sometimes we feel like we have everything under control, but it's okay to come back home. 

Luke 15:20-24 The Message (MSG)

17-20 “That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.

20-21 “When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

22-24 “But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time.

The good thing about it is, home is always home. This is something I've had to learn, especially now. I'm in transition and  I've had to move back in with my parents for the 2nd time. But the thing about parents is they always love you. You'll always be their baby.

Luke 15:25-32 The Message (MSG)

25-27 “All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’

28-30 “The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

31-32 “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”

The thing about this part is not everybody is going to understand. Y'all ever seen This Christmas? Y'all know how Lisa and Kelly would go at it because Lisa decided to stay home but Kelly went off to school. It may cause some resentment between the siblings. I can only imagine. I'm the older sibling in my household, but I also had the younger sibling experience. But I can only imagine how the older sibling would've felt. They probably took care of the younger sibling growing up and all, but they weren't celebrated; the younger sibling was. 

I actually just talked to my therapist about this concept today. If you're the older sibling in the situation. You have experience that the younger sibling doesn't have. You've had to learn how to handle business on your own. You've had to opportunity to have more responsibility. You can't skip those experiences either. No matter what your experience is YOU CANNOT SKIP IT