A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. —Luke 15:13
You order something on the internet and it arrives. Excitedly, you pry open only to find out the contents doesn’t look the way it does online. You try to connect with people on a deeper level. Earnestly, you pursue a friendship, only to find out that individual has secrets that hurt you. You move into a new neighborhood. Eagerly, you pack your belongings only to find out the house you purchased has undisclosed problems. Disappointments abound in life.
The prodigal son finds himself at home with his father. He looks around and leans into this conclusion: this isn’t the life I wanted. This isn’t how I envisioned or endeavored my life to become. Disappointment with God can lead to three roads: Run from the life you have. Resent the life you have. Resolve to make the best of the life you have.
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Run from the life.
The easiest option is always to leave. When things get hard, to leave relationships, reality, and rough times.
In life, relationships wound. We trust in truths that turn and faithfulness that falls apart. Intertwined lives introduce intimacy that run into obstacles when promises are compromised and character is cut away.
In life, reality gets warped. When plastic is inadvertently placed in a microwave, what happens? The heat is so high it alters the structure of the plastic container. Living life and loving others gets heated in trials and tribulations. Sometimes too much for us to endure. Heat painfully warps reality.
In life, rough times wear us down. When we face tough seasons, finding our own pathway to run from the valley is temporarily an easier solution than waiting on God to lead us out. We want solutions and resolutions sooner than later. Often, we may miss the truths God desires to transform in us because we are obsessed to obtain a way out when God isn’t ready for us to go yet.
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Sometimes, we really do need to run. In unacceptable situations like addiction or abuse, please run from it to a better solution and resolution in Jesus. But in the prodigal son’s case, he leaves for more self-centered reasons that have nothing to do with his safety or security. He runs to find fun. He flees to fancy the fulfillment of the flesh, not satisfy the soul. This type of running leads the runner to danger and disaster. Far from God, not closer to God. But take heart. In circumstances where leaving is necessary, there’s nothing wrong with running if
you run with God’s will as priority
you run with God’s worship as priority
you run with God’s way as priority.
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©️2020 Jordan Su