The Prodigal Son Experience

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (Luke 15: 20-22)


For this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life.He was lost, but now he is found.'  (Luke 15:25)




For the parents that have children that are away form the Lord the Prodigal Son is a reality for many of us. We soon realize, as parents, there are no guarantees. No matter how hard we try to teach our children about God and His Word, and no matter how often we pray for our children to except Christ and His message of salvation, some children will still reject it all! Even in the families where God is loved and trusted, some children still rebel and turn from their Christian  roots.


One of the most hurting experiences for a Christian mother or father is to watch a child’s rebellion against the Lord. Often, the more a father or mother tries to bring a child back to Christ, the more the child wants to runs away from their Christian roots. The experience of a prodigal son or daughter can be a very upsetting challenge to a Christian's faith.


All Christians know The Parable of the Prodigal Son in the book of Luke. It's the story of a  son who rebels and rejects his father's training. The son leads a wild life and looses anything of value. Not until he sees failure ans wallows in his despair, does he go home, then repents and will to do anything to win back his father's favor. To the son's surprise, he's is welcomed back home, into his father's forgiving arms. No amount of time and no amount of rebellion could get in the way of the father's unconditional love for his son. "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:24). The point of this parable is that God is patient with all of His children. He is willing to welcome each of us home and into His forgiving arms


The road back home to God for the Prodigal Sons in this world is different for each one. However, we should never give up! God gives us the example in Luke so that we can realize that our sons and daughters may turn against God.  We must be in  prayer, always no matter how things get. We have a promise from God's  to those parents who raise their children in a Christian home: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6 KJV).