There are stories, whether written or told, that deeply touch the emotions of our lives.  Of course, Jesus told a great number of stories in His teaching.  Some of those stories were little more than a few lines, while others were much more elaborate.  Every story was intended to make a personal point to each of His listeners.  Some people were angered as they made applications to their lives.  Other people were moved to make changes in their patterns of life.  What they had in common was the personal impact of the story.

One of the most emotionally impacting and best remembered stories from Jesus was the one that is often called, “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32).   In the story, Jesus tells of a young man, who becomes lost and then is found.  Through the series of self-caused and circumstantial events, listeners and readers see the young man change.  From an arrogant and self-absorbed youth, he is transformed to a repentant, humble, and self-aware person.  At the pivotal point in the story, Jesus uses the phrase, “When he came to himself ….”  The story appears to end with the forgiveness and restoration the young man finds when he repentantly returns to his father.  Then to remind us of the struggles of the human element, the elder brother enters with grievances that focus on the prodigal behavior of his younger brother.  Again, it is the heart of the father and his embrace of both sons that elevates the beauty of the story.

Perhaps this special story has such a powerfully emotional impact, because we can see ourselves in the story.  For, if we are honest with self, we all have or have had some of the feelings recognizable in the picture of the young man.  Maybe we relate to the desire to be free of the restrictions found in the control of home and parents.  It might be a sense of wanting to break personal patterns and find a new self.  It could be a moment of realization; one that has brought a longing for the seemingly impossible opportunity to erase all the mistakes and transgressions of life.  With that erasure of wrongs, we then long to have the blessing of a new beginning.  Further, who doesn’t need a loving father who is ready to forgive and restore?  It is a message that easily becomes personal.  Yes, Jesus is relating to every person’s relationship with God.  For many of us, it is also a very real picture of personal relationships with family and others.

There are aspects known in life that are challenging and tough to absorb.  We may long to believe that at some point life ought to slide with comfort and ease.  Such is a foolish fantasy.  Yes, there may be days of blissful contentment.  There will also be days win which we pay high prices simply to get through the day.  Ringo Starr wrote in his song, “You know it don’t come easy.  Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues.  And you know it don’t come easy.”  For sure, there are many times that “it don’t come easy” when it comes to life.

In the naivete of childhood we dream of how easy life will be when we get to the point where we are only responsible to and for ourselves.  Of course, if we live long enough, we come to realize that such a childhood fantasy is far from reality.  There may be those hermits and escapees from community life who become something like islands unto themselves.  Such a life is no utopia.  The old song reminds us, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”  Yes, the lyrics are a bet trite, but it is still true.  As Jesus boldly stated,” Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13), the value of what Jesus meant went beyond His own sacrifice.  For, the most valuable treasures of life are found in the sharing of them, no matter the cost. 

When the prodigal son made his way home, he was beginning to see the need of the shared life.  So, as the father saw his wandering son traveling the road home, he was able to rebuild that costly hope.  Later, the father was able to challenge his other son toward that same value.  If we could have asked any of the three men, they may well have agreed with the point.  For none of them did it come easy.

So when a story cuts so deeply into the fabric of our lives there is the privilege to learn and to grow.  As in the story, becoming the people we need to be comes to us by way of meeting challenges, making mistakes, and embracing new opportunities.  It is a part of what is presented in all three characters of Jesus’ story.  How we view our lives and the lives of the people around us cannot help but be affected by the imagery in the stories we hear and share.  Just because it “don’t come easy” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t embrace the opportunity.

Russell L. Dyer

10/16/2024