Brother of the Prodigal Son

You never understand a story and someone’s emotions till you step into their shoes.  The story of the prodigal son has been shared with me million times. The focus has always been on the prodigal son from what I have observed. I felt the love of the father towards the prodigal son was remarkable. I always thought the brother of the prodigal son was selfish and envious till I experienced something similar. It is interesting that I identified my own behavior and emotion as the brother of the prodigal son. Once I discerned, I immediately started to look for some articles related to my concern and found a couple. It was intriguing to discover that the brother was as lost as the prodigal son. He was upset with his father because he was working hard to earn his love as he mentioned how hardworking and obedient he was. However, the response of the father did not demonstrate that he ever expected any deed or hard work. The son assumed that he needed to act in a certain manner to earn his father’s love. 

Moral of the story: Relationships are not earned by gifts and good deeds. You should cares for someone because you want to not because you want to earn their love. 

Always remember that you are doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do not to earn a reward or respect. The deed should be reinforcing not the incentive of earning praise, approval and love.

Never forget, God’s grace is unconditional. We have not earned it. We do not deserve it! It is given unconditionally to the ones God wants to for no reason. 

http://www.stannchurch-stl.org/do-you-ever-feel-like-the-older-brother-in-the-prodigal-son-story/

#prodigalson #God #grace #love #learning