Have you ever met the prodigal son? You know who I’m referring to, right? You know, the dude who squandered his whole inheritance and then returned to his father with his tail between his legs! If you haven’t met him, you probably at least know the story.
Once he reflected that he had a lot of money coming to him, he thought, “Why wait until my father dies?”. He went to his father and asked him for his share of all that his father would give him as an inheritance. Without hesitation or condition, his father gave him everything. No questions, asked!
With his fortune in hand, he turned his back on his father, abandoning him, and struck out on his own. It either never occurred to him, or he didn’t care, that his father might have had a purpose for his use of all that he had given to him. He had a purpose in mind, and he set about fulfilling it. He set about spending as he saw fit. What he saw fit was anything that satisfied any craving he had at the moment.
After using up all that had been given to him, he realized his course of action was not so fit after all. Rather than becoming a steward of all that been given to him, he had squandered it on his own appetites. Rather than using his inheritance for the good of others, he had spent it on trying to satisfy himself. He never discovered any pursuit that fulfilled him. With nothing left, he decided to return to his father, confess and beg to be taken back as a servant.
Little did he realize that all the time he was away, his father never stopped loving him and constantly searched for him every day, hoping he’d return to him. One day, his father saw him in the distance and immediately ran to him, embraced him, and feted him. Nothing was too good because his son had come back to him.
Bringing this story back to mind, how do you personally relate to it? Does it occur to you that you didn’t have to ask but, from the day you were born, your creator gave you everything – your life, a world full of beauty, a unique set of capabilities and the free will to choose to use them as you see fit? Has it never occurred to you, or have you been too busy with life on earth, to ask yourself what your creator’s purpose in creating you was – what the meaning of your life is? Can you imagine the day when you discover that nothing you strived for throughout your whole life can ever give you real fulfillment? Might you, unknowingly, be squandering your life on earth? At that time will you discover that all you need to do is reach out to your creator who has never stopped loving you? Will you feel more than a little sheepish that you had not adequately pursued achieving the meaning of your life? Do you realize that your creator will joyfully celebrate your return no matter how late you do it? Is now the time to return to your creator and plead for its help to discern the meaning of your life to the best of your ability? Might it help to explore the thinking provided in the Meaning of Life Video Series?
Have you ever met the prodigal son? Try looking in the mirror. It worked for me.
Del H. Smith conducts research into life’s meaning and is the award-winning author of the AMAZON Best Seller, Discovering Life’s Purpose.