Luke 15:12, 20 “¹²The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. ²⁰ So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

Yesterday afternoon was fun. The day started off with a picnic among several friends and myself. After the picnic, I took care of two little boys, Dylan and Dawson. Their father is verbally abusive towards them and in general uncaring of their condition. This weekend, they are staying with their grandmother and yesterday while she was busy, I took care of them (she is a friend of my land-lady). When she came in to pick up these children, she watched me playing with them for a little while. Taking the children, she turned and told me that I would make a good father some day. This started me thinking. Where do we learn to be parents? Where do we learn what to do and what not to do?

I try to deal with kids much like my father is towards me. That is where I learned it from, my dad. When I see my grandpa and my dad together, I see that grandpa is the same towards dad as dad is towards me. Fathers pass on information, even when they do not realize it. This helps make fatherhood very important. Sometimes as a father, my dad had to punish me, sometimes he would help me out of problems, sometimes he would allow me to make mistakes, because that would help me learn.

In this, the story of the prodigal child, the father shows love. We always watch the son, the prodigal, in his efforts and trials. This parable of Christ goes beyond showing us the accepting love of our Heavenly Father and the forgiveness of our sins; it shows us the patient love, the nurturing love, and the waiting love of our Father.

In verse 12, this father of two sons gives the inheritance of one son to the demanding child. This father knows that this is a mistake on the part of the son, and so the father grieves and probably pleads “Beloved child, do not do this! Take my advice and stay here, live here, and wait for the proper time.” But the impatient young man ignores and demands of the father “If you love me father, you will do this for me!” The father is unable to change the mind of the boy, and so with much sorrow and regret, the father accedes to the son’s request, knowing full well that it is a mistake on the part of the child.

This father, after the boy leaves, watches and waits. This was a mistake and an error for the son, but the father loved the son enough to allow him to learn. The father knows that the son will either die or return a sadder, more experienced man. So the father waits, and waits, and waits. The boy will either return home, or word of his death will come. The father waits, patiently searching for the errant boy; one day the father’s patience is rewarded and the son returns. The father immediately throws a party, not to celebrate the son, but rather the return of the son. The party is to remind the son that he is a child of the father, who loves him. There is nothing that the boy could have done to remove the kinship, naught that would destroy the father’s love for his boy(Luke 15:27). The same is true of God and us. He is our patient, nurturing, and waiting Father.

Father of me, and all mankind,
And all the hosts above,
Let every understanding mind
Unite to praise Thy love.