A Father's Love
In her recent general conference talk, Sister Amy Wright spoke about the parable of the prodigal son. In that story after the son wasted away his inheritance and found himself in despair, “He came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 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” (Luke 15:17-20). Sister Wright then commented, “The fact that the father ran to his son, I believe, is significant. The personal hurt that the son had inflicted upon his father was surely deep and profound. Likewise, the father may have been genuinely embarrassed by his son’s actions. So why didn’t the father wait for his son to apologize? Why didn’t he hold out for an offering of restitution and reconciliation before extending forgiveness and love?” I believe that the answer is that the father’s love for his son was so great that he cared little for the personal hurt he had endured because of his son’s actions. He loved his son more than his own reputation, more than his desire to hold a grudge, more than any pride which might have found satisfaction in the suffering of a sinner. That father cared more about the hurt this son had done to himself (the son) than the hurt that had been inflicted on the father. He simply loved that son with all his heart and wanted healing and happiness for the wayward child.
As I thought
about this story this morning, I realized that the father must have also shown
great love in sending off his son just as he did when receiving him. The fact
that the son would consider it even an option to go back home shows that the father
did not cut off his son in anger when the latter chose to leave. The father did
not slam the door with expressions of good riddance to the wayward son. He did not
cut off ties to save his face amidst the neighbors who saw the bad behavior of
this respected man’s son. No, despite the son’s bad choices, the father must
have sent him off with love and longing, with a hope only that he would one day
return. Perhaps the son expressed hatred towards the life he was living with
his father as he left, mocking this righteous man’s simple ways, but that loving
father surely did not mock or express any ill will towards the one who was
hurting him so deeply. I believe there was no animosity or anger from the
father that day his son left; there was only sorrow and suffering in the father
for the loss of his son and the inevitable pain he knew would come from poor
choices. Like the Lord in the vision of Enoch, this earthly father surely did “weep,
seeing [this son should] suffer” (Moses 7:37). But he left the door open,
instilling his that boy’s soul that whatever else happened, there would always
be a place for him at home.
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments: