How can I be comforted if my prodigal hasn’t come home?

July 24, 2013: How can I be comforted if my prodigal hasn’t come home? Please “Share” this new Blog Post for Precious Prodigal: http://wp.me/p1D8dQ-bQ

Gen 37:35 “And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted…”

Anyone who has ever loved a prodigal knows what it’s like to be devastated by the behavior of the prodigal. I’m not sure there’s a loss so complete or overwhelming as watching the hopes and dreams we have for our loved ones burn up before our eyes.

I’ve seen parents and spouses in so much emotional pain, I could almost reach out and touch it…it was that tangible. And I’ve experienced that kind of loss myself…the kind that is so huge, it almost takes on a life of its own. I don’t know that it would compare with losing a child, but the agonizing losses we have known make me think we can probably imagine how Jacob must have felt. No wonder Genesis 37:34 says he “mourned for his son many days.”

But there’s something else we can learn from Jacob’s grief. His other sons and his daughters suited up and showed up. They reached out to him, but he “refused to be comforted.” I understand his grief…really I do, just as I understand your grief and my own. He loved Joseph, and his heart was broken at this terrible loss. But Jacob still had a houseful of children who loved him, who needed him, who wanted to be with him and comfort him. 

And Jacob either couldn’t or wouldn’t see it. His conclusion was that he could find no joy or comfort unless he had Joseph. He was wrong. Sometimes the prodigal uses up so much of our energy that we don’t spend time with or enjoy our other kids or family members. How reasonable is that? Oh, I know the one who is acting out may need to be our focus part of the time. But all the time? If he is, it’s certainly not fair to the other kids, who are trying their best to do the right thing. It’s not fair to the spouse who has stood faithfully by our side. And it’s not fair to us.

When is the last time you had a date night with your spouse…I mean a real “date” where you didn’t mention the prodigal’s name even one time? When’s the last time you called one of your other children and spent the entire conversation focusing on that child or flowers or the weather…anything besides the prodigal’s latest escapade? When is the last time you spent the day just doing things you enjoy?

I’m not saying your pain isn’t real. I know very well that it is. But it’s only a part of your life, not the whole. God’s plan for your life is that you will find joy; it is your “portion under the sun.” (Eccl 9:9) However, you’re not going to find that joy, I’m not going to find that joy if we’re banging our sippy cups on our high chairs and refusing to be comforted unless the prodigal comes home. There’s much more to your life than just that. But you won’t see it, you won’t enjoy it, you won’t embrace it if you refuse to be comforted.

Challenge For Today: Can you, just for today, find comfort and joy in the people who love you and in the other parts of your life regardless of what your prodigal does?

Author's Note

July 24, 2013:
How can I be comforted if my prodigal hasn’t come home?
Please “Share” this new Blog Post for Precious Prodigal:
http://wp.me/p1D8dQ-bQ