One son sins openly and runs away from his father . . . . The other remains, but has withdrawn his heart from the father. - Neal Lozano, Abba's Heart
Two things about this. First: I have certainly been both sons, and perhaps this is true of many of us.
Secondly: It's pretty easy to fall into the second son's trap, for a couple of reasons. We tend to live by the comparative identity, and when we do, we need someone against whom to compare ourselves favorably. The other reason is: those who live rightly may fail to recognize how much that is also a gift of the Father's grace and mercy. When I believe that I have earned a status that, in truth, I could never merit, it's easy to start feeling proud of my accomplishments and lose sight of the gift I have received.
No comments:
Post a Comment